Zimbabwe to pay white farmers for land taken and work with them in partnerships
‘Our government is firmly committed to a process of the need for corrective measures to deal with the consequences of past injustices’
Harare — Zimbabwe’s minister of lands, agriculture and rural resettlement Perence Shiri has said his country regrets injustices made during its chaotic land-reform programme and is now taking corrective measures to address past mistakes and also compensate white farmers. His comments come at a time when fear has gripped SA, and potential investors, over plans to expropriate land without compensation. Shiri was speaking in Harare on Thursday at the 75th anniversary of the country’s Commercial Farmers Union (CFU), a grouping of largely white commercial farmers who lost their land. The controversial “fast-track” land reform triggered Zimbabwe’s economic collapse, led to Harare’s international isolation and sanctions from the US and EU. In his address to the white farmers, Shiri acknowledged Zimbabwe made mistakes and said CFU members had a legitimate right to seek redress. He said the government also wants to work with white farmers so they can help Zimbabwe’s agriculture sector grow...
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