Farmers Sue for $39 Trillion


Zimbabwe Independent (Harare)

March 4, 2005
Augustine Mukaro


DISPLACED white commercial farmers are contemplating arguably the biggest lawsuit in Zimbabwean history of $39 trillion - more than the national budget - against the state for losses incurred during the chaotic land reform programme.

The lawsuit comes at a time when Reserve Bank governor Gideon Gono, in a bid to arrest the country's crumbling economy, is reportedly luring back displaced commercial farmers.


Highly-placed sources in the central bank said Gono had constituted a National Land Board to draft an agricultural reconciliation plan that will form the basis for rebuilding the agricultural sector.

The land board is chaired by former Arda chief executive, Liberty Mhlanga. Commercial Farmers Union (CFU) president Doug Taylor-Freeme sits on the RBZ's agricultural taskforce which had a major input in the agricultural reconciliation plan. CFU officials said the reconciliation plan would re-call some commercial farmers to jump-start agricultural revival.

"There are strong initiatives coming from the Reserve Bank in conjunction with the Agriculture ministry," one official said.

"The dairy industry was the first to be approached by the ministry's Department of Livestock and Development with evicted dairy farmers being requested to return to their properties."

This could be a clear admission that government's much-publicised land reform programme was a failure.

On the lawsuit, a draft document by lawyers indicates that so far more than 2 000 evicted farmers have completed the evaluation of their assets and the losses they suffered when they were forcibly evicted from their farms. The farmers say they suffered collective damages of $39 trillion.

But the figure could rise sharply because at least 4 000 farmers lost their properties in the controversial and often violent land seizures that began five years ago.

Some of the property was destroyed or looted by government-backed war veterans and other state security agents.

The farmers are planning to file their case with the local and international courts. Sources said farmers were frustrated with government's failure to compensate them for improvements on the acquired farms and other losses.

Government promised to compensate farmers for developments only and not for the land. It shifted responsibility for land compensation to the former colonial power, Britain, which however rejected ultimate liability but agreed to mobilise resources and provide funds for a well-planned land redistribution exercise.

"Government is not showing the will to compensate farmers," a displaced farmer spearheading the evaluation exercise said. "The partial compensation extended to about 200 farmers constituted between 5-10% of the value of the improvements."

He said the 200 farmers only accepted the compensation because they had no alternative sources of income. Farmers said figures for compensation were calculated by evaluating improvements on the properties, lost income, damaged or vandalised equipment, relocation expenses and the trauma which the farmer and his workers went through when their farm was invaded.

At least 12 white commercial farmers lost their lives in the chaotic process, while thousands of black farm workers were displaced.

Critics of the land reforms blame Zimbabwe's poor policies for the country's current food insecurity, arguing that the majority of the "new farmers" lack experience and resources.

Of about 4 500 large-scale commercial white farmers operating in Zimbabwe five years ago, there are about 500 left. Hundreds have been accommodated in the Sadc region and in Nigeria where President Olusegun Obasanjo pledged that he would not let the skills developed by Zimbabwe's white commercial farmers go to waste.

Justice for Agriculture chairman, John Worswick confirmed that there were initiatives taking place but could not give details.

"Taylor-Freeme is directly involved in the negotiations. He should be the right person to provide details," Worswick said.

Taylor-Freeme confirmed his appointment to the RBZ's agricultural taskforce.

Any farmer that goes back to Zim is nuts, and deserves the screwing he will eventually get.

George

Lets see 39 Trillion Zim dollars.....given there inflation rate by the time this thing gets to court their case will be worth US$5.00!!! Good luck chaps.

Prediction:

Following Mugabe's fixed re-election, he will quietly reverse a lot of his land grabbing policies.

Well, I hope t'Hell you're right, but I'll believe it when I see it. Mugabe's basic stance is foaming-at-the-mouth racism. He's mad, that's all. I keep hoping he'll have a stroke in the middle of one of his Hitlerian/Castroite tirades but his health is disgustingly good.

I would be amazed if the farmers were ever compensated for what they have lost. Individuals and companies in the US have yet to be compensated for property lost in Cuba, and that has been going on for over 40 years. It is a miracle that we still have sports hunting in Zim. Once a government does away with individual rights of property ownership, it is hard to change course.

I bet all the white farmers are all queueing up to go back there !!!



The ones I know probably wouldn't even go back to recover the property that was stolen from them.

In 10-20 years those in power will be sitting back and dreaming of the good ole days when the white man was King and all was well with the world.

I'm sure the UN is going to step in and help the white farmers.

I have two friends who were "displaced" from their family farms. Both negotiated with the new "owners" to continue to stay on the farms and split the profits from the sale of the crops.

As one of them told me.."look, the ownership of land in Africa changes with the wind. My ancestors had to deal with all the same BS for over 100 years....six years is a lifetime in Africa! I still live in my childhood home, and hopefully it will be mine again some day..for now, I'm still here, and that is 50% of of the battle."

quote:

Originally posted by N'gagi:
I have two friends who were "displaced" from their family farms. Both negotiated with the new "owners" to continue to stay on the farms and split the profits from the sale of the crops.

As one of them told me.."look, the ownership of land in Africa changes with the wind. My ancestors had to deal with all the same BS for over 100 years....six years is a lifetime in Africa! I still live in my childhood home, and hopefully it will be mine again some day..for now, I'm still here, and that is 50% of of the battle."

I sure admire that guy. There aren't enough Christian blood cells in my body to be that benevolent to thieves and despots.

"M-16" I know that you are pranking with us regarding your "UN" remark -RIGHT!!!

United Nations:

UN-productive
UN-able
UN-wanted...
...and needs to be UN-done!

Jeff

Magabe is well aware that his people cannot grow enough food to feed the people and hungry people get real cranky with their leaders when starvation sets in...

Some of those farmers will go back, and to each his own, I think they will prosper as never before because supply and demand make a market...

It may, in fact, be the best thing thats happened in Zim in several years, but its a gamble on the part of the white farmer...I see it as step in the right direction and a foothold back into their country, perhaps...who knows...

I will tell you this, the black gov. must realize the error of their ways least they would never make such an offer..Some white folks from somewhere, be it the USA, Canada, Spain or wherever will take advantage of this situation if the white African does not....

Rings of the old Tanzania and its slow process evolving back into the world of reality...

I am sure glad I am not in that situation. What a tough choice to make. Damned if you do and damned if you dont.

Only time will tell if this will work out. Who's to say that Monkeyman and his cohorts won't confiscate the land again when the land is producing viable crops? I do wish those that are going take that chance the best luck.

Does anyone know if there is any truth to this report?

I receive daily emails from ZWNEWS and am in regular contact with a number of Zimbabweans and the only place I have heard mention of this is in this thread!

http://www.theindependent.co.zw/news/2005/March/Friday11/1826.html

Farmers’ claims rise to $116 trillion

Augustine Mukaro
Friday, 11 March 2005

DISPLACED commercial farmers’ claims against government should balloon to $116 trillion after they factor in improvements on farms and damages incurred during the chaotic land reform programme.

Justice for Agriculture (Jag), a splinter group from the Commercial Farmers Union, is seeking compensation for over 2 000 farmers evicted from their farms almost five years ago.

Jag said so far over 2 000 evicted farmers had finished the evaluation of the losses they suffered when they were forced off their farms.

“Submitted evaluations show that each farmer lost an average US$2 million when he was evicted,†Jag chairman John Worswick said, adding his compensation claim after losing his highly mechanised 700-hectare farm was US$3 million.

“About 4 000 commercial farmers lost 5 800 properties which translates to US$11,6 billion (about $116 trillion),†he said.

Worswick said the claims could rise due to delays in paying compensation.

Worswick said the Zimbabwe Independent figure of $39 trillion published last week was a gross understatement.

He said the farmers would be taking their case to the international court.

The farmers said despite government’s public posturing that it would compensate evicted farmers for improvements on acquired properties, a mere 200 white farmers had been partially compensated.

“A total 700 farmers were invited to the Agriculture ministry to discuss compensation proposals,†one farmer said. “To show that government is not serious with the compensation issue, the offers were all verbal. Only 200 farmers who had no alternative sources of income accepted the partial compensation which constituted between 5-10% of their claims.â€

Farmers said figures for compensation were calculated through evaluation of improvements on the property, lost income, damaged or vandalised equipment, relocation expenses and the trauma which the farmer and his workers went through when they were invaded.

More than a dozen white commercial farmers lost their lives when they tried to resist war veterans and Zanu PF militia takeovers of their properties.

Critics of the land reforms blame the policy for Zimbabwe’s compromised food security situation, arguing that the majority of the “new farmers†lack experience and rely on government handouts to farm.

Of about 4 500 large-scale commercial white farmers operating in Zimbabwe five years ago, there are about 500 now, who own 3% of the country’s land.

http://www.theindependent.co.zw/news/2005/March/Friday11/1826.html