Harare – Zimbabwe’s remaining white commercial farmers who fear renewed land invasions, have resorted to negotiating directly with the government or the possible new owners to protect their properties, says a report.
According to New Zimbabwe.com, an unnamed member of the Commercial Farmers Union (CFU) says that the remaining farmers have abandoned courts and the union, and instead opted for a new approach.
The CFU member said that farmers have now decided to share their land with the new farmers in the hope that they were not going to be moved by President Robert Mugabe‘s government.
“Farm invasion are underway across the country, but the affected farmers are now engaging the government or new owners directly to negotiate for downsizing of the land.
“This new approach has seen some of the targeted farmers remaining on the land, but using less hectarage to accommodate new settlers…,” the unnamed CFU member was quoted as saying.
According to the Commercial Farmers Union of Zimbabwe, more than 4 000 white commercial farmers and their employees were displaced at the height of the land seizures embarked on by Mugabe’s Zanu-PF government in 2000. Some of the farmers lost their lives during the chaotic land seizures.
The latest bid came at a time when Mugabe had threatened all white farmers still remaining on their land that they would lose their properties to pave way for his supporters and ordinary Zimbabweans who had no access to land.-N24
