Government has dismissed claims that the return of farms protected under Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreements (BIPPA) marks a reversal of Zimbabwe's land reform programme saying the process is strictly a legal and constitutional exercise aimed at resolving outstanding obligations.
Speaking in Parliament on Wednesday, Acting Leader of Government Business and Minister of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Water Resources, Dr Anxious Masuka said the return of 67 BIPPA-protected farms should not be interpreted as a shift away from the country's land redistribution policy.
Masuka said the programme remains intact and irreversible, while the BIPPA arrangements are intended to address investment protection agreements signed between Zimbabwe and foreign nations.
"The BIPPA process is about settling outstanding legal claims and compensating investments protected under bilateral agreements. It is not a reversal of the land reform programme," he said.
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He explained that the 67 farms being returned represent only a small portion of land affected under the broader land reform exercise and are being handled within the confines of the Constitution and international treaty obligations.
Government also highlighted ongoing efforts to strengthen land tenure security for local farmers under President Emmerson Mnangagwa's administration.
Masuka said authorities are in the process of issuing permits, leases and offer letters to nearly 450 000 black farmers across different farming models. These include approximately 360 000 A1 farmers, 23 500 A2 farmers and more than 70 000 farmers under the old resettlement scheme.
The minister added that government is also addressing administrative anomalies that contributed to confusion surrounding land ownership. About 840 farms that were wrongly gazetted are set to be restored to black farmers deemed to be the rightful owners.
In a further move aimed at consolidating indigenous land ownership, government will issue title deeds to around 10 000 Matenganyika farmers whose leases were granted before Independence.
Meanwhile, Masuka said government has developed a framework for 409 former farm owners who continued occupying their properties through peaceful arrangements with resettled farmers. Under the arrangement, the former owners will be allowed to purchase the farms they currently occupy.
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The clarification comes amid renewed debate over land tenure reforms and government efforts to balance constitutional obligations, compensation commitments and agricultural productivity
