Key Points
- White farmers demand payment under Zimbabwe’s land compensation deal.
- Farmers say failure to pay has left many destitute.
- Government allocated $10M for compensation but missed payment deadlines.
While other farmers not covered by the deal have received payments, white commercial farmers in Zimbabwe claim the government has not paid them all of the $331 million in compensation for land that was taken from them.
White farmers demand payment under Zimbabwe’s land compensation deal
The Southern African Commercial Alliance and the Commercial Farmers Union jointly wrote to the Finance Ministry on December 10th, urging immediate negotiations with the government. According to the unions, the government’s disregard for the Global Compensation Deal (GCD) has deprived many members of their dignity, leaving them penniless.
About 4,000 White farmers whose land was taken by militants with official support would receive compensation from the Zimbabwean government as part of a 2020 agreement. The arrangement is projected to cost $3.5 billion in total over a ten-year period, but the government has missed several deadlines for payments.
The government of Zimbabwe has justified the land seizures as a means of redressing land ownership disparities from the colonial era. Nonetheless, the unions cautioned that noncompliance jeopardizes confidence and may jeopardize current negotiations.
According to the letter, “the current approach risks eroding trust and undermining the objectives of the structured dialogue platform.” “In order to create a unified, domestic solution that strikes a balance between compensation and agricultural recovery, we implore your ministry to give priority to discussions with GCD signatories.”
According to New Zimbabwe, at least 439 former landowners have been named as recipients of the $331 million financial settlement, according to the African Development Bank. 1,300 former White farmers have applied for compensation under the GCD, according to official data.
Zimbabwe sets aside $10 million for current fiscal year
The government of Zimbabwe put aside $10 million for the current fiscal year and $35 million for payments in the fiscal year that ended on March 31.
Although the payment schedules are still unknown, the government will continue to compensate farmers who have requested compensation, according to Andrew Bvumbe, head of debt management at the Finance Ministry.
