PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa faces an internal revolt from
Zanu PF youths who are angry over his recent announcement that his government
will follow constitutional provisions and compensate white former commercial
farmers who lost their farms during the chaotic land reform programme.
Although compensation will not be for land, but
improvements on the farms which include dams, dip tanks, farm houses and other
infrastructure constructed on the farms over the years, party youths said they
were against the move.
Vocal Zanu PF youth league political commissar Godfrey
Tsenengamu, fired from the party by ousted former leader Robert Mugabe before
bouncing back, has stirred the hornets’ nest by charging that government should
not compensate the farmers because they developed infrastructure on stolen
land.
“Compensation for land developments or infrastructural
development is not a priority for Zimbabweans. The Constitution demands
compensation for the above and what we are proposing is an amendment to that
clause, as the clause is an insult to our fallen heroes who paid for this land
through their blood, sweat and tears,” Tsenengamu told NewsDay yesterday.
He charged that while Mnangagwa was only upholding the
Constitution, it was up to Zanu PF MPs to push a legislative agenda that would
amend the law and withhold compensation.
“These former colonisers robbed our parents, looted our
cattle, displaced our parents, exploited our minerals, and over-used our
fertile lands from 1890 to 2000. Whatever
developments they now claim are because they exploited our
parents through forced labour. They forced our parents to pay huts, dogs and
cattle, and many other taxes,” Tsenengamu said.
“We are the victims and must be the ones to be compensated,
instead of directing the scarce resource towards looters, robbers and
enslavers. Instead, let’s direct that money towards resuscitation of local
industries.”
The youth are critical in the body politic of Zanu PF and
have normally nodded their heads to any policy decisions announced by the party
leader, and rarely do they depart from backing the President.
Two weeks ago, government through Finance minister Mthuli
Ncube, announced that they had budgeted ZWL$53 million to compensate white
former commercial farmers whose properties were seized nearly 20 years ago
during the chaotic land reform programme.
Zanu PF youth league leader Pupurai Togarepi, who recently
survived a vote of no-confidence from the youth league, dismissed allegations
of a fallout, saying while Tsenengamu’s comments were valid, the country should
be guided by the law.
“That’s a very healthy debate and any Zimbabwean is
entitled to his or her opinion. As long as the compensation is constitutional,
it’s good for us as a country to abide by our laws,” Togarepi said.
He said his troops would support any constitutional
decisions made by Mnangagwa, including compensation on improvements made on
farms by white farmers provided it would compete with other government
priorities.
“Secondly, as long as it’s about infrastructure on the
farms, our government has an obligation to perform. If we need to be a
responsible global citizen, we must, as a priority, adhere to our laws. The
land issue is an emotional issue, but we should clear these little hurdles to
move forward as a country,” Togarepi said.
He, however, warned that any push by white former
commercial farmers to be compensated for anything more than improvements on
farms would be resisted.
The land reform programme was implemented in 2000 and
involved government seizing mostly white-owned farms, and doling out the land
to black farmers to address colonial
imbalances.
The white ex-farmers have been waiting for compensation
since then. Meanwhile, Gilbert Bwende, secretary-general of pressure
group Tajamuka/Sesijikile, said government should address socio-economic
problems affecting citizens before considering
compensating white former farmers.
Speaking at a Press conference in Harare yesterday, Bwende
said: “Recent media reports indicated that Mnangagwa is daring to compensate
white farmers as part of his reform
agenda. The government has no money, yet it wants to
compensate the white commercial farmers.
“Hospitals and medical practitioners are under-equipped,
yet the government chooses to spend money on a group of white commercial
farmers, most of whom are harboured within the comfort of their native countries.”
Bwende also said government should give local investors the
platform to resuscitate industry, instead of promoting foreign investors.
“The government continues to prefer foreign investors, who
have not brought any tangible investment to the country and who are, in fact,
looking for money and opportunities,” he said.
Newsday
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