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| Africa Subsaharan |
| A seized Zimbabwe farm is returned, but uncertainty reigns |
| 2018-03-02 |
| [hbtvGhana.com] Zimbabwean farmer Robert Smart inspects irrigation pipes for a potato crop after returning to his family farm. Smart last year had been evicted at gunpoint under Robert Mugabe’s programme to force white farmers to hand over their land. When the riot police arrived, Zimbabwean farmworker Mary Mhuriyengwe saw her life fall apart as her job and home disappeared in the ruthless land seizures that defined Robert Mugabe’s rule. Mhuriyengwe, 35, watched as police carrying AK-47 rifles released teargas to force white farmer Robert Smart off his land in June 2017 ‐ perhaps the last of 18 years of evictions that helped to trigger the country’s economic collapse. A widow and mother of two, Mhuriyengwe relied on her work as a general labourer at Smart’s Lesbury Estates farm in Headlands, 160 kilometres (100 miles) east of the capital Harare. "It’s the only job I had and I had no husband to turn to," she said, her voice breaking with emotion. "I found myself with nothing." To her shock and amazement, Mhuriyengwe is now back at work on the farm and back living in her modest house, after Mugabe was ousted in November and Emmerson Mnangagwa became president. |
| Posted by:Besoeker |
| #10 Interestingly, one of the white-leaning black commentators was grousing about being ripped off by the Chinese. Of course, blacks have a tendency to feel they're being ripped off, regardless, so it's hard to know how seriously to take that claim. Still, having the Celestials serve as a foil for the eevvvillll murungu (the Shona expression for whitey) is kinda amusing. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2018-03-02 17:22 |
| #9 Here's a local paper with a lot of back and forth among black and white Zimbabweans. Some of the ostensibly black commentators want whitey to come back. Others want whitey (i.e. the remaining 200 farms still owned by whites) completely expropriated. Re getting expropriated whites back on 99 year leases, the problem, as might be expected, is regaining the trust of the people who have left. I think that trust is history. People who moved have probably set down roots. Why go through the whole wrenching experience again, without sizeable carrots? IMO, a 99-year lease is not a sizeable carrot. Compensation for their losses might be acceptable, but I suspect they'd need more on top of that. And the treasury isn't exactly flush with cash. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2018-03-02 17:11 |
| #8 What sort of damage did the new owners looters do to the property in the interim? Took training with Bureau of Land Management SWAT teams at the Bundy Ranch? |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2018-03-02 15:34 |
| #7 What sort of damage did the |
| Posted by: magpie 2018-03-02 15:10 |
| #6 Uncertainty? Sheeeit. We seen this movie. It's more a matter of when than what. |
| Posted by: SteveS 2018-03-02 13:12 |
#5  I suggest we refer to Smart's farm as a 'Peace Farm.' Tours can be held. Media interviews conducted. The success of a modern, progressive, post-apartheid government heralded. Hitler wanted to use the 1936 games to present a peaceful Germany to the world. The Olympic village was part of that plan and boldly called the "village of peace" - a name could not have been more misleading (graphic depicts a model of the Peace Village). |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2018-03-02 07:26 |
| #4 or Devil, even |
| Posted by: Frank G 2018-03-02 06:02 |
| #3 "Get it back into shape, White Dwvil so we can reappropriate it" /Farmin B. Hard |
| Posted by: Frank G 2018-03-02 05:50 |
| #2 I recommend the following book, the title says it all. “The Fate of Africa; The History of the Continent Since Independence.” Meridith, Martin. Zimbabwe was a food exporting country until the white farms were redistributed. South Africa has just declared that it’s white farms will be returned to the native populations without any compensation. |
| Posted by: Sloluth Smith4022 2018-03-02 04:57 |
| #1 The hatred of white people will be directly proportional to how much you will eat and farm. No one trusts you. |
| Posted by: newc 2018-03-02 03:28 |