Zim farmers reject compensation

HARARE – Most white commercial farmers have rejected offers of compensation for farms taking from them during violent government-sponsored invasions.

The Zimbabwean reported that the minister for Lands and Land Resettlement, Didymus Mutasa, told the local press last week that farmers were responding well to the compensation initiative. But Justice For Agriculture (JAG), which represents the majority of evicted farmers, said the offers amounted to only five per cent of the true value of the improvements to the farm and had been rejected by most farmers.Mutasa and the Zimbabwe government have insisted it should be the British government that compensates farmers for land according to the Lancaster House agreement signed at independence.John Worsley Worswick of JAG explained: “Certainly the farmers who were paid over the 15-year period got paid for land and improvements on that land.But the issues got muddied with regards to statements made by Mugabe that the land was stolen.”Worswick stressed that many farmers bought their properties after 1980, with the blessing of the same government now taking back that approval.He said over 80 per cent of farmers had bought their farms after independence and had received certificates of “no present interest” from the government.He claimed they developed their farms with the blessing of the government.The fact that government turned around in 2000 and said the land was stolen, raised major issues that called for an international ruling.- SW Radio AfricaBut Justice For Agriculture (JAG), which represents the majority of evicted farmers, said the offers amounted to only five per cent of the true value of the improvements to the farm and had been rejected by most farmers.Mutasa and the Zimbabwe government have insisted it should be the British government that compensates farmers for land according to the Lancaster House agreement signed at independence.John Worsley Worswick of JAG explained: “Certainly the farmers who were paid over the 15-year period got paid for land and improvements on that land.But the issues got muddied with regards to statements made by Mugabe that the land was stolen.”Worswick stressed that many farmers bought their properties after 1980, with the blessing of the same government now taking back that approval.He said over 80 per cent of farmers had bought their farms after independence and had received certificates of “no present interest” from the government.He claimed they developed their farms with the blessing of the government.The fact that government turned around in 2000 and said the land was stolen, raised major issues that called for an international ruling.- SW Radio Africa