Zimbabwe plans to end private ownership of land, a minister says. John Nkomo, minister in charge of land reform, says that all title deeds will be replaced by 99-year leases. He told the state-owned Herald newspaper that all land-owners should go to the government to be "vetted" to get a lease. | Vetted = "Friends of Bob" get a lease |
About 500 white farmers remain on their land in Zimbabwe, out of some 4,000 in 2000, when the government speeded up the process of land reform. They own just 3% of the best farmland, down from 70%, government figures say. Mr Nkomo says that leases would be 25 years for wildlife conservancies, to allow more people to take part in that lucrative sector. | Of course, wildlife conservancies don't produce much food, but PETA will be happy. |
"Ultimately, all land shall be resettled as state property. It will now be the state which will enable the utilisation of the land for national prosperity," he said. Private ownership of land is not allowed in many African countries. | It worked so well for the Soviet Union |
The white Zimbabwean farmers who have gone to countries such as Zambia and Mozambique have been given long leases. The Herald says that the government continues to list farms for compulsory state acquisition - 259 last year and 918 this year. Government critics and aid agencies says that the disruption to the farm sector has led to massive hunger, with more than half the population needing food aid. But the government says that harvests are now rising, with production of the staple food maize, more than doubling compared to the previous two years. Agriculture Minister Joseph Made told state-run media that the government's land redistribution programme was responsible for the improvement. The government blamed the food shortages of previous years on drought. |