The Herald (Harare) Published by the government of Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe: White Farmers Get Offer Letters

Harare — THIRTEEN white commercial farmers in Guruve have been granted offer letters and retained their farms after complying with all the terms of the Land Reform Programme.

The development -- which puts paid to recent reports that white farmers were being hounded off the land -- was revealed by Mashonaland Central Governor and Resident Minister Advocate Martin Dinha during a tour by the provincial lands committee over the weekend.

The 13 -- who were among the 210 resettled farmers yet to receive land offer letters in the district -- included Mr Brice Gordon Francis of Chikonyora Farm, Mr Barry Warwick of Gurungwe Farm, Mr Duncan Wood of Lotiof Msitwe Farm, Mr John Strong of Disi Farm, Mr John Kennedy of Delken Farm, Mr Malcolm Francis, also at Gurungwe Farm, Mr Geoffrey Dollar of Red Lichen Farm, Mr Craig Hughes of Ternanog Farm, Mr Robert Irvine of Mazooma Farm and three others at Impinge Farm.

Guruve District Lands Committee chairman and district administrator Mr Elisha Rupiya told the provincial lands committee that the district had resolved to give the white farmers land as they were co-operative and hardworking.

The provincial lands committee immediately accepted the district's recommendations, saying land allocation powers had been bestowed on districts and the province would not oppose such decisions.

Adv Dinha is currently visiting all districts in the province to assess farm production. He has since toured Mazowe, Shamva and Bindura meeting farmers.

Adv Dinha told some of the white farmers who received him on his tour of Guruve on Friday that the Land Reform Programme was not racist in principle but the fact of the matter was that colonial land tenure policies were skewed in favour of whites.

"The Land Reform Programme was meant to redress the colonial land imbalances which, unfortunately, were in favour of people of your race.

"That is why the Land Reform Programme appeared as if it targeted people of your race," he said.

Adv Dinha said farming in Zimbabwe was not based on colour or creed. He said the province had noted that the white farmers who chose to stay and share their farms with indigenous farmers had not been given offer letters together with about 210 other farmers in Guruve.

"The law is clear on land. All the land belongs to the State and you can only stay on that land on the express authority of the State.

"Without the express written authority of the State, you are staying on that piece of land illegally, whether black or white," he said.

Adv Dinha said the offer letters were imperative as most farmers in Guruve were failing to occupy the farms they were allocated, thereby affecting production.

He denied reports of fresh farm invasions, saying Government was merely prosecuting those farmers who were illegally staying on State land, as prescribed by the law.

Adv Dinha expressed displeasure with some white farmers who were allocated land but were reluctant to integrate themselves into the rest of society.

"We consider you as Zimbabweans and you are part of us. You should also be seen participating in national events such as independence (celebrations).

"I am not saying you should support a prescribed political party. What we want is to see you freely participating in all State occasions," he said.

He urged the farmers to share their knowledge with newly resettled farmers, saying they (white farmers) had the advantage of over a century of commercial farming.


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Comments 1 to 5 of 11 Post a comment

  • comforter
    Apr 28 2009, 00:53

    Who will speak for the property rights of black Zimbabweans? What about their property rights, the original property rights when the land was grabbed from their parents and grandparents? If Europe and the West were fair, they would have to account for that property right FIRST!!! The land must revert to the government of Zimbabwe. Any payment to the white farmers should take into account the rent, penalties and fees etc that are owed to the blacks of Zimbabwe for the original land grabbing. The only way to have restored the original prooperty rightrs of blackx in Zimbabwe was to grab the land back in the asame way it was grabbed from the original BLACK people. Of course, the whites will never like it because they pretend to love the "POOR, HUNGRY, UNEMPLOYED AFRICANS!!" But in reality, it's really about the GRAND SUMS OF MONEY THE WHITES HAVE BEEN MAKING ON PEOPLE WHO DO NOT BELIEVE THEY CAN SCRATCH OUT A MEAL FOR THEMSELVES UNLESS IT IS GIVEN TO THEM BY A WHITE FARMER. THE WHITES WANT TO KEEP THE DEPENDENCY SYNDROME GOING BECAUSE IN THAT WAY THEY CAN CONTINUE TO PROFIT. THIS IS NEO-COLONIAL RACIST GOBBLEDEGOOK.. "'GIVE A MAN A FISH AND HE WILL EAT FOR A DAY; TEACH A MAN TO FISH AND HE WILL EAT FOR A LIFE TIME." POWER!! POWER!! POWER!! TO THE BLACK PEOPLE OF ZIMBABWE!!! GOD BLESS YOU AND SUSTAIN YOU FROM THESE GREEDY RACISTS.

  • comforter
    Apr 28 2009, 01:22

    Who will speak for the property rights of black Zimbabweans? What about their property rights, the original property rights when the land was grabbed from their parents and grandparents? If Europe and the West were fair, they would have to account for that property right FIRST!!! The land must revert to the government of Zimbabwe. Any payment to the white farmers should take into account the rent, penalties and fees etc that are owed to the blacks of Zimbabwe for the original land grabbing THAT TOOK THE LAND FROM THEIR PARENTS AND GRANDPARENTS. BUT WHO WILL TELL THE TRUTH FOR THE PROPERTY RIGHTS OF BLACK PEOPLE IN ZIMBABWE? The only way to have restored the original property rights of blacks in Zimbabwe was to grab the land back in the same way it was grabbed from the blacks in the first place. IT IS REALLY A FORM OF ENSLAVEMENT TO KEEP A PEOPLE IN A DEPENDENT PSYCHOLOGICAL AND ECONOMIC POSITION SUCH THAT A BLACK PERSON FEELS SO INEPT THAT HE CAN'T FIGURE OUT HOW TO SCRATCH OUT A MEAL FOR HIMSELF UNLESS THERE'S A WHITE FARMER FEEDING HIM!! ACTUALLY, THIS DEPENDENCY SYNDROME IS A PSYCHOTIC MANEUVER CARVED OUT BY THE WHITES TO KEEP THE BLACKS IN A POSITION OF TOTAL SUBMISSION SO THAT THEIR PRE-EMINENCE WOULD NEVER BE CHALLENGED, AND THEY COULD KEEP ON MAKING HOARDS OF MONEY!!! """GIVE A MAN A FISH AND YOU FEED HIM FOR A DAY. TEACH HIM HOW TO FISH AND YOU FEED HIM FOR A LIFE TIME.!!! BEST WISHES TO THE BLACK PEOPLE OF ZIMBABWE AS THEY STRUGGLE AGAINST THE RACIST WESTERN OLIGARCHY TO BECOME EMPOWERED AS HUMAN BEINGS WITH DIGNITY AND SELF RESPECT!!!

  • buddhamate
    Apr 27 2009, 11:13

    "The Land Reform Programme was meant to redress the colonial land imbalances which, unfortunately, were in favour of people of your race."......."YOUR RACE"............Well, well, well. And I thought all this sh.t was about equality for all Zimbabweans. Herald ,these farmers are Zimbabweans,black,white or coloured .Token offers will not get Mugga off the hook. African Americans, South Africans and all other peoples who were wronged by racist societies fought long and hard and are still fighting hard to eliminate the kind of crap you clowns at the Herald spew forth. What a bunch of losers Mugga Luvvas are !

  • George Warren
    Apr 27 2009, 12:04

    If this is the case, then why the hell didn't Bob tell all white farmers, that they had to buy the land again. I know this is flippin corrupt in making people pay twice, but at least there would not of been all the problems caused by these flippin terrorists. Bob can go and hang for destroying Zimbabwe.

  • ragtimer
    May 3 2009, 11:15

    No surprise there. Europeans are not unique in being racist, they are only unique among all the world's races in making an honest effort to end their own racism. That is why all the corrupt people in the world hate Europeans with a passion, and spread all the lies and half-truths about them. The Europeans' willingness to examine themselves with a critical eye, make a real effort to improve themselves, and - worst of all - succeed in doing so, drives all the hateful people in the world into a rabid foaming madness.

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