Hypocrisy of Zim’s land reform programme laid bare
THE world needs to know that Zimbabwe’s land acquisition programme was a front for the elite to plunder the country under the veil of redistributing land to the people. Surely the UK, South Africa and the US should do something about the corruption in Zimbabwe. It needs to be addressed so the country can heal and rebuild itself without Emmerson Mnangagwa and his thugs.
Mnangagwa’s incompetence is now at its peak with all the gold looting in Zimbabwe and his gold mafia exposing him as the one giving the go-ahead for doing so. Former Rhodesia president Ian Smith was dubbed the colonial racist and people of Zimbabwe fought the oppression to gain independence.
Yes, they did gain their independence, but they gained a country that was economically stable and the infrastructure was in good shape, roads were well maintained, and hospitals fully equipped. Then the new leaders started building their own stashes of cash and acquiring for themselves the very land that they had fought for. Guess who was abandoned? The rest of the nation. In 1999, Mugabe ordered the seizure of white-owned farms. Fast forward to 2023, you will see just how hypocritical this land reform programme was, as none of it reclaimed from the white farms went to the people. It was all for the elite.
Through the 2023 divorce of Mugabe’s daughter, Bona Mugabe, it is evident that most of these farms were taken and given to the children of the elite. It has come to light that Bona Mugabe, 33, owns 21 farms.
In comparison, Smith had only one farm before Zimbabwe’s independence.
Now the country lies in ruins, infrastructure is dilapidated, hospitals have no medicines and some hospitals cannot cope with demand.
The president needs to step down. South Africans are thinking of adopting the same land acquisition from white farmers in their own country, but I urge them to think hard about how they intend to redistribute their land so that it does not end up in the hands of corrupt politicians.
COLLEN CHIKORE