Zimbabwe’s government has made its first compensation payments to white farmers whose land was seized under a controversial land reform program that began more than two decades ago. This is part of a 2020 agreement under which Zimbabwe pledged to pay $3.5 billion (£2.6 billion) for the farms that were forcibly taken during the period of 2000-2001.
The initial payment, totaling US$3 million (£2.3 million), was announced on Wednesday and will cover the first 378 farms out of 740 for which compensation has been approved. This represents just 1% of the total $311 million earmarked for the first batch of payments. Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube confirmed that the remainder of the compensation will be paid through US dollar-denominated Treasury bonds.
“One of our commitments as we try to reform the Zimbabwe economy, to clear our arrears, is really to compensate the former farm owners who lost their farms during the land reform programme,” Ncube said. “We have now begun to honour that agreement.”
The land seizures, which were intended to address colonial-era land ownership imbalances, resulted in the forced removal of thousands of white farmers. This caused a dramatic economic downturn in Zimbabwe, leading to strained relations with Western nations. The compensation agreement, which was finalized in 2020, aims to settle these long-standing grievances.
While the payment marks a significant step toward fulfilling the compensation agreement, the majority of former farmers have yet to accept the deal, with many holding on to their title deeds. The government has limited the compensation to the “improvements” made on the land, but has refused to pay for the land itself, citing its unfair seizure by colonial powers.
Harry Orphanides, a representative for the farmers, told the BBC that more farmers are now considering signing up for compensation, though many still refuse to do so.
The government has prioritized compensating foreign investors whose land was protected under bilateral investment agreements, and began paying them compensation in January. This reflects the government’s ongoing efforts to rebuild relationships with the international community and restore ties with Western governments.
Zimbabwe gained independence in 1980, ending decades of white-minority rule. At the time, the country’s most fertile land was largely owned by about 4,000 white farmers. The land reform initiative aimed to redistribute white-owned land to black farmers, addressing the legacy of colonial policies that had displaced thousands of black farmers.
In 2000, under President Robert Mugabe, land invasions were encouraged by government forces and vigilante groups, resulting in widespread violence and international condemnation. His successor, President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who took power after Mugabe was ousted in a 2017 coup, has sought to mend relations with the West, acknowledging that land reform cannot be reversed while also committing to compensating former farm owners as a key part of this process.
Analysts view the first compensation payment as an important gesture in efforts to repair Zimbabwe’s relations with Western nations and to avoid further international sanctions or judgments against the country. Zimbabwe has been excluded from the global financial system for more than two decades, contributing to its ongoing economic challenges and massive foreign debt.
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Written By Elegbe Theodore