SW Radio Africa (London)
Alex Bell
30 June 2009
The unity government has this week been urged to initiate moves to compensate tens of thousands of farm workers, who have lost their jobs as a direct result of Robert Mugabe's 'land reform' scheme.
The visiting Netherlands President of the Trade Union Confederation, Agnes Jongerius, told reporters at the end of a five-day trip to Zimbabwe that thousands of former farm workers had been left struggling to survive as a result of the land-grab. The Trade Union Confederation chief and a delegation were in Zimbabwe since last week, assessing trade union and workers rights. Her visit was also meant to assess the political and socio economic conditions of workers and see if they were consistent with internationally recognised standards.
During her visit, she met workers from both the formal and informal sectors, NGOs, and some workers who lost their jobs for various reasons. She described to reporters the 'horrible' cases of unemployed former farm workers camping by the roadside and 'in needless suffering.'
"The land reform programme which took place in the name of addressing the historical injustices, has made hundreds of thousands of farm workers unemployed and homeless," Jongerius said.
She added: "Farm invasions have intensified since the inclusive government was formed and thousands of workers lost their income and have no roofs above their heads."
"The land audit, which is mentioned in the GPA, has not yet started," Jongerius continued. "The compensations, which should be paid to former workers of expropriated farms, have not been paid."
The plight of Zimbabwe's farm workers has been largely overlooked, as the campaign to remove the remaining commercial farmers from their land continues. Hundreds of farm workers have lost their jobs this year alone, adding to the already staggering unemployment rate of 94%.
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INDEPENDENT FARMERS’ UNION IDEA
I'm an entrepreneurial sort of person and I got an idea along those lines that I believe many of us who are grassroots thinkers have been overlooking.
So here goes my idea :
a) We have all kinds of Farmers and Farms that are struggling to make a profit. I believe that they are struggling because they are farming under a kind of Third World system that advantages the persons who convert what farmers produce.
b) In most Third World countries , the First & Second World countries… [Read Full Text]
"Uplift".........it's on!
Since Mr. "Upliftdarace" likes to cut-&-paste, please allow me to respond in kind...........
Mr. Uplift:
I grew tired of your cut-&-paste doggerel, so I decided to fact-check your claims that Black Africans actually “invented” the things you have claimed they did (courtesy of the Black Inventors Museum in Los Angeles, California). Most of your claims are out and out WRONG or complete fabrications! Maybe you’ve heard of this “invention” called Wikipedia?
I have put counter-claims to your assertions that Black Africans “invented” many of the things you claim they have. As a matter of FACT it is somewhat… [Read Full Text]
Oh......... I don't know..............
How about restoring the land to those people who managed it and made the land productive, AND employed MILLIONS of Zimbabweans and paid them a regular wage?
It's amazing what a country's economy will do when when there are jobs and people are working, earning wages and spending money! Zimbabwe should try it.........
How about rescinding the repressive policy of "invading" farms in favor of letting the people who actually produce and employ millions of Zimbabweans make their farms grow?
How much do the First Shopper's "farms" produce? How much of the land that… [Read Full Text]