SW Radio Africa (London)
Violet Gonda
28 September 2009
Robert Mugabe and his ZANU PF party have always insisted that the government's land reform programme is meant to correct 'historical imbalances' and give land to landless black Zimbabweans, through a one-man-one-farm policy. But over the last decade productive farms have been taken from white commercial farmers and given to a new black elite. This weekend journalist Peta Thornycroft also revealed that Robert and Grace Mugabe 'own' 12 farms between them.
The President is said to have bought one farm near his rural home in Zvimba, Mashonaland West but then he went on to grab five other neighbouring farms.
Grace is said to have taken over six commercial farms, including Gushungo Dairy Estate in Mazowe, formerly known as Foyle Farm, which was the top dairy farm in Zimbabwe. The farm owner faced a campaign of violence over many months in 2003 until he was forced to sell his property at a quarter of its value, and ultimately he only received 40 percent of that amount. Russell Goreraza, Grace's son from her first marriage, manages the farm.
It has also emerged that Nestlé is Mrs Mugabe's biggest customer and she is said to be selling up to a million litres of milk a year to the multinational food company. Nestle has said it was left with little choice but to buy milk from Gushungo Dairy Estate, because so many other milk producers had shut down. It's alleged that Mrs Mugabe uses an unmarked £100,000 tanker and trailer to deliver milk three times a week to Nestlé's plant on an industrial estate on the outskirts of Harare.
The Mugabe's are on a list of targeted sanctions by the European Union but the Swiss company is not obliged to comply with the targeted measures because Switzerland is not a member of the EU. However, the country has its own set of measures against the Mugabes, one of which states it "is forbidden to make funds available to persons mentioned, or put them, directly or indirectly, at their disposition".
Thornycroft told SW Radio Africa on Monday that an incredible amount of money has been spent on Gushongo Dairy Farm, "And yet, despite this enormous amount of money and with the latest German, Swedish and Polish milking equipment, she still only produces a fraction of the amount of milk that the previous farm owner used to produce.
On June 27th Mrs Mugabe told the state-controlled Herald newspaper that the farm had been in a dilapidated state before she became the new owner, but Thornycroft said: "It may have looked not posh but it was extremely productive. It was a top dairy estate in Zimbabwe and it held its own in world records as well. Now it produces about a 6th of what it used to produce."
Nestle has been criticised by rights groups for helping the First Lady to accumulate wealth through the controversial land acquisition policy that only benefits a small elite. A number of South Africans were on Monday making calls urging the public to boycott Nestle, because its Zimbabwean operation is buying milk from a farm controlled by Mrs Mugabe.
The other five farms 'owned' by the First Lady are:
The 2,500 acre Iron Mask Estate. Grace Mugabe personally ordered elderly owners John and Eva Matthews to leave, giving them just 48 hours.
Sigaro Farm taken from Joe Kennedy, a major seed producer;
Gwebi Wood, which had been bought by Washington Matsaire, the chief executive of Standard Chartered Bank's Zimbabwe subsidiary, in 2001;
In December last year, Ben Hlatshwayo, a high court judge who had evicted Vernon Nicolle from the 1,445-acre Gwina farm, was in turn forced out by alleged "unlawful conduct" on Mrs Mugabe's part, according to court papers he reportedly filed;
Mrs Mugabe is also in control of the 1,740-acre Leverdale farm.
Thornycroft, who has visited the various farms, said sadly it's been a takeover of lucrative farms which have now been devastated. She said Gwina farm, for example, produced 20% of the country's wheat and was a massive tobacco and maize producer but there is no large scale production taking place now. "It is really the tragedy of these vibrant sectors, now in the hands of amateurs."
Thornycroft confirmed the Mugabes have 12 farms, saying: "They do have. There may be more that we don't know about."
Although Robert Mugabe bought the 445ha Highfield Farm near his rural home, the other five farms were seized from their white owners. Three were owned by the Skea family - Cressydale, John O'Groat and Tankatara - who were forced out between 2000 and 2002 and have emigrated to Australia and New Zealand. The owners of the other two farms - Clifford and Cressydale - were forced out in 2006 and 2008.
Analysts say this is the real reason there have been delays in allowing an audit of land ownership, as required by the GPA, because it will reveal the multiple farms owned by the Mugabes and others in the ruling elite.
Meanwhile, the General Agriculture and Plantation Workers Union of Zimbabwe (GAPWUZ) have reported that over 66,000 farm workers have been made homeless since February and are fighting for survival following the new spate of invasions of white-owned farms. GAPWUZ said the farms' new 'owners' had hired the police to force farm workers and their families off the land. It's reported most of the workers were now living rough, by the roadside or in the mountains, where they had set up squatter camps.
Read comments. Write your own.
Copyright © 2009 SW Radio Africa. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
The Ministers of Sunshine, Rainfall and Harvests stepped out of their respective SUV's to address the large crowd of workers at the latest farm invasion. The unruly mob wanted to know why uncle bobono needed another farm, especially just before harvest when they were most at risk of starvation. The ministers politely told them that the sunshine and rainfall were government property and, therefore the harvest was being confiscated as unjust enrichment. The local police, stunned by this logic could only watch, helplessly as the crowd was forced into the bush by the young war veterans. The ministers drove off, worried that the ministry buffet would not wait for them. Only in Africa......ignore at your peril.