IN June last year, Minister of Lands and Rural Resettlement, Dr Douglas Mombeshora, revealed that preliminary findings of a land audit had shown that 12-year and 10-year-olds had been allocated land under the Land Reform Programme (LRP).
He said that this was against policy since only those over 21 years could be allocated.
Issues concerning land allocation and distribution continue to dominate public discourse in the country.
The recent move by the minister to get the ball rolling on the much awaited land audit is a step in the right direction.
Access to land has always played a crucial role in the survival strategies of the impoverished majority.
There is consensus among critics and supporters of the Land Reform Programme (LRP) that land distribution and allocation was done quickly and sometimes haphazardly there is need to address and rectify it.
While the programme has been described by slanderous superlatives by Western media such as “violent land grabs”, “controversial” and “illegal” and has been presented as illegal and breaching the principle of “private property rights”, in clear reference to white property, Zimbabwe has weathered the storm.
In January, the media reported that a farm allocated to Edwin Chinotimba, who is Buhera South legislator, Joseph Chinotimba’s son, had not been gazetted for acquisition by Government. The Herald stated that information it obtained shows that the Director of Chihosa Estate, Collen Gura entered into an agreement to buy the farm from the previous owner in 2006 and fully paid for the land last year (2014).
Government sources are said to have queried the acquisition of the farm at a time when 60 hectares of macadamia nuts were ready for harvest, with another 100 hectares under seedlings.
The estate was reportedly expected to earn $707 616 from the crop. A local bank is said to have since withdrawn a $400 000 facility for the estate following disturbances arising from the ownership wrangle while it is feared that a South African company will put on hold plans for a macadamia nuts processing plant in Chipinge.
Former ZANU PF Mashonaland East Provincial chairman, Cde Ray Kaukonde allegedly abused his office to acquire vast tracts of land and also protected over 40 white farmers at the expense of landless villagers. It is alleged that Cde Kaukonde who was the vice chairman of the Mashonaland East Provincial Lands Committee, assumed command over several farms in all districts in the province and invoked the name of former Vice-President Joice Mujuru to intimidate anyone who opposed his decisions. Didymus Mutasa faces similar charges in Manicaland, where he is said to have protected white farmers in that province, allocated land to his relatives and girlfriends and evicted black farmers in favour of whites who paid him kickbacks.
Since January, the Maleme Ranch issue in Matabeleland South has been making headlines as villagers, chiefs and other stakeholders have resisted the occupation of the farm by a Government official, Rodney Mashingaidze. David Cunningham’s continued stay at the ranch. Chiefs including, Matabeleland South Senator, Chief Nyangazonke, Chief Malaki Masuku and Chief Khulumani Mathema have challenged Government officials to explain how Maleme Ranch was given to a senior officer in the government.
Another case that has been raging for a while involves deputy secretary to the President and Cabinet, Dr Ray Ndhlukula and Figtree farmer David Connolly. On Thursday March 12 2015 Dr Ndhlukula was sentenced to 90 days in prison for defying a High Court order barring him from evicting Connolly. The sentence is suspended on condition that he complies with the order within 14 days. A provisional order was granted last year in favour of Connolly but Dr Ndhlukula allegedly defied it and brought his workers, farm machinery and livestock to the farm. The previous owner, David Connolly approached the court in August last year and a contempt of court order was granted against Dr Ndhlukula on March 12 2015.
Dr Ndhlukula has since been ordered to fully vacate the farm, Subdivision A of Centenary, and remove all livestock and movable assets within 48 hours of service. Failure to do so will result in any persons or property remaining on the farm being removed by the sheriff of court.
The Minister of State Provincial Affairs for Masvingo, Cde Shuvai Mahofa, barred the Minister of Tourism and Hospitality, Cde Walter Mzembi, from taking over part of Barquest Farm owned by Hellen Mitchell, that is located about 20km east of Masvingo. On Thursday, March 12 2015, Minister Mahofa said that Minister Mzembi was not supposed to take over the farm as it was strategic to Masvingo Province in terms of supply of chicks and eggs. She said that she had already informed officials in the Ministry of Lands and Rural Resettlement in Masvingo to identify another farm for Minister Mzembi. She added that Masvingo Province would not tolerate the take-over of productive farms that benefit the majority of people
The cases highlighted above cast aspersions at the LRP and feed into the perception that the programme was always intended to benefit ZANU PF political leaders and those connected to them. Such depictions downplay the fact that the masses have been the major beneficiaries of the LRP.
Another equally disturbing trend has been the emergence of cases that highlight black on black land occupations conflicts. Such occurrences create the impression that land holders have no security of tenure even when they have leases, offer letters or title deeds.
Given that Professor Scoones research highlighted the importance of small holder farms in the success of the programme and recent assertions by Bill Gates that the small holder plots model is the right way to go for developing nations, reports of small plot holders being removed to make way for the bigwigs pour water on the LRP success story.
Government has been afforded an opportunity to address the problems in the agricultural sector by conducting a land audit, through the Zimbabwe Land Commission as provided for under Section 296 of the Constitution. The manner in which Land Reform was implemented resulted in some people having claims to multiple pieces of land. A land audit would help to rectify these anomalies. It would also produce a record of land holders to help the Ministry of Agriculture to plan and assist black farmers in their farming endeavours.