Chefs in Fresh Land Grab Orgy in Mat North


Financial Gazette (Harare)

August 25, 2005
Posted to the web August 25, 2005

Njabulo Ncube
Harare

SENIOR ZANU PF politicians and army officers have grabbed prime wildlife-rich farms along the route of the Zambezi Water Project in Matabeleland, as they strategically position themselves to benefit from the stalled project, which is expected to create a 450-kilometre greenbelt.

Government sources privy to land redistribution in Matabeleland North told The Financial Gazette yesterday that the majority of the farms and safaris along the envisaged route of the pipeline, from the Victoria Falls to Bulawayo road, had been grabbed by prominent politicians in ZANU PF and officials from the army, police, prison services and war veterans.


While some of the politicians had been allocated the farms at the height of the land grab in 2002, there has been a stampede for the properties along the route of the pipeline largely due to the fact that the government had shown interest in proceeding with the Zambezi project, first mooted in 1912.

Top on the list of politicians eyeing or already allocated farms in the area stretching from Nyamandlovu to Matetsi near the Victoria Falls are ZANU PF chairman and parliamentary speaker John Nkomo, Obert Mpofu, the Minister of Industry and Commerce, Thoko Mathuthu, the new Governor for Matabeleland North, Cain Mathema, the metropolitan Governor of Bulawayo and Dumiso Dabengwa, the chairman of the Matabeleland Zambezi Water Trust (MZWT).

Nkomo, according to sources, is planning to muscle his way into Lugo Ranch; Mpofu has settled for River Ranch in Matetsi Block, Dabengwa, using Nitram, a former PF ZAPU company, is understood to have shown immense interest in Goodluck Ranch.

Mathuthu is at Antonia Extension while Mathema has been allocated Gwayi Ranch. Other ruling party officials allocated farms along the route include Matabeleland North ZANU PF chairman Headman Moyo (GoodLuck Farm), Alice Nkomo and Siyazama Ndlovu (Sonata Ranch). Jacob Mudenda, the suspended ZANU PF provincial chairman for Matabeleland North, has been allocated Sikume Estate.

The property previously allocated to Jonathan Moyo, the former government-spin-doctor has reportedly gone to the Rainbow Tourism Group (RTG).


"There's nothing wrong with them being on these strategically positioned properties but what is interesting is the coincidence that all these top people are positioned on the route, which promises to be a greenbelt when the project is finally implemented," said a lands ministry official privy to the allocation of farms.

"The properties, which are rich in wildlife, range between 4 000 and 12 000 hectares," added the source.

Hey AR guests

Whom ever imagined these ZANU PF chaps were silly need to think again //

They have certainly latched onto the fact that SAFARI HUNTING is a multi million dollar business and the more they control the more than can lighten your foreign currency wallets

WE can rant and rave BUT they are the ones laughing all the way to the bank so to speak ///

In times of crises there is always money to be made, provided there is clientele ///

Fraud and deception is alive and well in Zim's in particular/

Mind you, if we dig much deeper into the goings on in some other Southern Africa Hunting countries we will also find (some shady deals) going on and (quasi government intervention) especially as the profits rise so do governments eyes open more and more to the fact that they want to get more of the pie, and in AFRICA their goverments have more POWER and are able to manipulate and ignore public opinion, especially from the outside western world

Happy Hunting

Peter

Peter,

Bushcats are bushcats, we'll have to make a plan.

Regards,

Terry

Unfortunately, South Africa and Namibia are next.

500G

I think the jury is still out on SA & Namibia //

From what my spies tell me SA seems to be OK in (general africa terms) by virtue that they do have an internationally (recognised constituition) and they do have vast OVERSEAS investment and TOURISM and they do have something over 4 million whites whom are the stabalising influence to a degree // in fact from what I am hearing a number of whites are in fact returing whom have left as they founf the grass not that green oversess, of cource like everything in this world it depends whom one talks to

In fact (investment and tourism) are up so those are good signs, they have VAST natural strategic mineral reserves, so that is a good sign, so in general terms they are not a basket case ...

Of course the government is able to change the laws by virtue of their majority BUT I dont believe they will go overboard, time will tell.

Even in the good Ol USA the government does not essentailly (listen to the people) per se as they can also manipualate public opinion and your only recourse is to vote them out BUT is the alternative any better ??? I dont think so

SA is not on shaky ground at this point in time

Namibia I dont know BUT they are not an economic powerhouse like SA so whom knows

From when I look around the world at the Western Countries with terrorism and its associated costs to protect a country from radicals, MAYBE SA is not so bad off after all ???

Peter

quote:

Originally posted by Balla Balla:

SA is not on shaky ground at this point in time

It's probably best to be realistic about the situation.

quote:

CAPE TOWN, Aug 24 (Reuters) - South Africa's land reform must be accelerated to avoid the problems seen in Zimbabwe where delays on promised land redistribution led to government seizure of white-owned farms, the deputy president said on Wednesday.

"We want to avoid a situation where, because land reform has taken too long, both the government and the people must resort to desperate measures," Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka told parliament.

Land is an emotive issue in South Africa where the white minority still owns the bulk of agricultural land more than a decade after the end of apartheid. The government says it wants 30 percent in black hands by 2014 but Mlambo-Ngcuka said only 3 percent has so far been handed over.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/BEL428630.htm

And another:

quote:

NEITHER academic analysts, nor well-resourced international lobbies and their think-tank-programmes will be able to stave off Africa's "war-for-own-land"!

The "war-for-own-land" in Africa is a reality. No imported industry of "neo-liberal, United States approved democracy", "free market economy" and no "willing seller, willing buyer concept" will be able to reverse it. Africans are aware of their historical rights and are angry.

Obviously, Africa's land is an emotive and sensitive issue for both sides: the current landowner, whose history on this continent is known and the original, first African, who had to go to war to eventually receive democracy, but still sits with no real access to land and therefore, remains in abject poverty. This is also known.

Zimbabwe's fast-track land reform made Africans on the continent and the Diaspora more aware of their failure to get land back that once belonged to their ancestors and was taken by colonial conquerors from Europe.

After Zimbabwe's fast-track land reform, African governments had to re-introduce land reform on their national agendas.

How about this one?

quote:

Land reform: SA should 'learn from Zimbabwe'
Pretoria, South Africa
10 August 2005 05:59
South Africa could learn about speedy land reform from its neighbour Zimbabwe, Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka said on Wednesday.

"We've got lessons to learn from Zimbabwe -- how to do it fast," she told an African distance-education conference in Pretoria.

There is a general complaint in South Africa that land reform is too slow, too structured and "that we need a bit of an oomph".

"So, we might want some skills exchange between us and Zimbabwe, to get some of their colleagues to help us here with that," the deputy president told delegates with a smile -- to muted laughter.

Hundreds of commercial farmers were evicted from their land since 2000, often forcibly, in Zimbabwe's much-criticised land-reform programme.

Earlier this month, a conference on South Africa's land-reform programme -- designed to correct apartheid-era wrongs -- concluded that the willing-buyer-willing-seller principle is no longer appropriate.

I hope that Namibia and South Africa do not go the way of Zimbabwe, but they have both indicated an intent to head that direction and have both failed to denounce Mugabe's "reforms." If memory serves, Namibia was actually studying his approach. They need to study the after effects.

And Safari Hunters will continue to go to Zim and line the pockets of the thieves because it is a 'good deal' and someone else would go anyway.

The same argument that is used to buy cheap stereo equipment on the street corner.

quote:

Originally posted by Kathi:
Chefs in Fresh Land Grab Orgy in Mat North

I am still trying to figure out where the "Chefs" come into this...

Mickey,

I am guilty.

I also bought some Chinese made crap at Wal Mart last week, giving China foreign currency which it will use to purchase more Sunburn missiles from Russia.

It's tough to be truly principled. But I did draw the line and refuse to purchase running shoes made in China. I figure that's a start. And I gave up French Fries.