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East/Subsaharan Africa
Bob’s Boys Bag Bounty
2003-02-22
Some of President Robert Mugabe's closest allies and relatives have seized farms intended for the resettlement of poor blacks, according to a secret government report prepared by the Zimbabwean vice-president, Joseph Msika, and leaked yesterday to a London newsletter.
What a convenient leak. I wonder if Le Monde published it also?
Also very "secret." I read an article in the Zim press about a year ago by one of the kleptocrats legislators, explaining why it was perfectly reasonable that siezed land go to legislators and cabinet members and police officials — they're black Zim-Bob-Weans, too, after all. Nothing to see here, move along.
In one case a senior armed forces officer used troops to forcibly evict 96 resettled families from formerly white-owned land in the rich farming area around Marondera, it says. It says the officer concerned grabbed three farms.
Why stop at one?
In another incident a cabinet minister obtained a choice farm by hiring thugs to drive off youths settled on the property as part of an agricultural training programme.
They were just training to be farmers, they couldn't possibly need the land.
Three cabinet ministers, four provincial governors, two leading businessmen and members of Mr Mugabe's family are said in the report to have obtained farms by corrupt allocations. The "Land reform and resettlement programme national audit interim report" was completed this month, according to Africa Confidential, which obtained a copy. "We are not surprised by this report at all, it is what we've said all along, that the land seizures were benefiting those high up in Zanu-PF," Wilfred Mhanda, chairman of the Zimbabwe Liberators Platform, said.
I agree, the old surprise meter never twitched.
It is the first of three expected to show that Mr Mugabe's "fast track" land theft seizures have caused Zimbabwe's agricultural production to plummet and have largely created the famine affecting nearly 7 million of the country's 12 million people. The misuse of land seized from white farmers is expected to be highlighted in two other reports to be presented to parliament in the coming weeks.
Yes, to that ferociously independent Zimbabwean parliament.
Parliamentary sources say that a report from the parliamentary committee on agriculture and land will say that many of the poor black peasants resettled are destitute and getting poor yields because they do not have adequate seeds, tools, fertiliser and training to make good use of their new plots.
Wonder where all that stuff went?
The committee toured the country to look at the situation of resettled farmers. It is jointly chaired by the Zanu-PF MP Daniel McKenzie Ncube and the Movement for Democratic Change MP Renson Gasela, who is the opposition party's agriculture spokesman. Another report highlights alarming problems facing the nearly 1 million farm workers and their families who were thrown off the properties that the Mugabe crooks snakes rascals government has seized. Many are homeless and hungry as a result of the chaotic land seizures, according to the report, which should be tabled in parliament soon. The agriculture thug-in-charge minister, Joseph Made, recently admitted that the government had failed to resettle nearly half the farms allocated under the scheme to create a new class of large-scale black farmers. The result is that less than half the land previously cultivated has been farmed this year, according to the Famine Early Warning System Network. The government has already applied to the UN for another year of food relief.
Might as well just xerox the aid application, you'll be using it for years to come.
Posted by:Steve White

#3  I still got Zimbabwe in the "Next African Famine" pool. Thanks, Bob. It's looking good.
Posted by: tu3031   2003-02-22 12:09:19  

#2  Zimbabwe used to have a healthy agricultural EXPORT based economy; now they have famine and need the rest of the world to feed them. If anyone doesn't understand "social justice," like this, think of what Stalin did to the Ukraine in the "30's. Also consider that about 90% of whatever aid gets there winds up in the hands of Mugabe or his fawning sycophant toadies. Isn't this like a subsidy for thugocracies?
Posted by: John   2003-02-22 11:52:03  

#1  I'd like to see copies on the room service breakfast trays for Bob, Grace, and all the other corrupt (yes, this means you, Jacques) participants in the France - We-Love-You-Africa summit. Might make for some sprayed O.J.?
Posted by: Frank G   2003-02-22 08:37:51  

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