"WHITES PLEASE COME BACK!" ROBERT MATIBILI!

Zimbabwe: Desperate Mugabe launches campaign to lure back white farmers

Thu, 03 May 2007 02:27:00   http://zimdaily.com/news/117/ARTICLE/1624/2007-05-03.html   DESPERATE President Robert Mugabe has embarked on an aggressive campaign in the region to lure back the white commercial farmers he kicked out of the country more than five years ago. A delegation led by senior Central Intelligence  Organisation (CIO) operatives, Fred Chunga and Godfrey Madzorera, and agriculture ministry officials has so far been to Mozambique and Zambia, Zimbabwe's two neighbours who have benefited immensely from Mugabe's chaotic land grab. In 2000, Mugabe started seizing white-owned commercial farms and parcelling them out to his cronies in ZANU PF and government.  The new farmers, most of whom had jobs elsewhere and did not have any farming training and experience, started selling the implements on those farms, destroyed the infrastructure and turned them into weekend braai resorts where they usually went with their wives and girlfriends. It remains to be seen whether these sojourns will yield desired results. In the past they yielded nothing from apprehensive white commercial farmers. In the early Nineties, there were more than 5 000 white commercial farmers in Zimbabwe. There are now less than 200. In Manica province in Mozambique where there is a concentration of former Zimbabwean farmers, Mugabe's messengers faced a barrage of questions. "What guarantee do we have that you won't seize the farms again when our ventures start thriving?" asked Andrew du Toit, whose Burma Valley farm was seized in 2003. "Farming is a business that depends heavily on borrowing. Who will give us loans without title deeds to use as collateral?" asked Greg Wicksteed, whose once-thriving mainly tobacco farm in Mashonaland Central was also grabbed by another Mugabe crony in 2000. Officials were at pains trying to convince them all will be well this time around. "We have made mistakes in the past," answered Chunga. "We have learnt from them and we will make the necessary corrections," he said without elaborating. In Zambia, however, farmers were less diplomatic. "Unless you change your policies drastically, we won't come," said Gerald Mortimer, whose Tengwe farm now belongs to a senior CIO official, Ronald Shambare. Zambia, which used to have perennial food shortages, has since 2004 been one of the major exporters of maize to Zimbabwe until this year, thanks to the white farmers who went there after Mugabe's land grab. The country banned all cereal exports to its southern neighbour to keep them for its nationals as it was affected by floods this year. Now Mugabe wants the same farmers to return to help him out of the mess. Mugabe's land grab beneficiaries are failing to produce enough to feed the nation. Once southern Africa's breadbasket but has now been reduced to a basket case by Mugabe's disastrous land policies, Zimbabwe needs at least 1,8 million metric tonnes of maize a year. This year, the country is estimated  to produce a paltry 600 000 metric tonnes, according to experts in the agricultural industry. Government  officials put the figure at 800 000 metric tonnes. The balance will have to be imported to stave off hunger. Mugabe has reportedly devised a plan to barter sugar for maize with Malawi. The strategy conceived by the Joint Operations Command (JOC) food taskforce, which brings together the army, police, the CIO and ministries of agriculture and industry, came into force last month. Only 300 000 tonnes will be imported from Malawi. That falls short of what is required to cover the deficit. Mugabe, well-known for his posturing and  has previously  hailed his land reform exercise as a great success has grudgingly admitted  there is widespread hunger. His information minister Sikhanyiso Ndlovu,said the country was facing "a severe drought this year" and would welcome unconditional food aid from the international community. Ironically, it is the same international community, whose organisations working on relief projects in the country, Mugabe has threatened to expel. Last month, Ndlovu threatened non-governmental organisations (NGO)s "with political agendas"  that the government would cancel their licences. Paranoid ZANU PF government does not want NGOs to hand out food aid to the rural folk. It fears the aid would be used for campaigning for the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).  It has made the rural areas a no go area for the MDC by setting up terror militia bases for every 15 villages countrywide to weed out MDC supporters. In the past, Mugabe's government has abused food aid from the donor community giving it only to those holding ZANU PF party cards, leaving MDC activists with nothing to eat. Donors want to help all Zimbabweans irrespective of their political affiliations.

14 Comments | Add Your Comment | Forums The following comments are owned by whomever posted the comments. ZimDaily is not responsible for what is printed. BETTER DAYS To every Zimbabwean who is suffering because of this politicoeconomic quagmire,everything that has a beginning has an ending.Better days are definately coming.What we need is to keep the faith and stay strong Posted By Mwana wevhu , gaborone : May 3 2007 02:27 AM Ony for the Living Beta days will surely come But only for the living then. most are dying of hunger and disease, while they HOPE for the beta day. Posted By Agent77 , Glabal Village : May 3 2007 02:57 AM Shameless Idiots Uku ndiko kunonzi kushaya nyadzi. You thought farming as as easy as sleeping your endless bitches and spreading AIDS and selling farming equipment? What white farmers are you now courting to come back.Have you not just of late given notice to 200+ remaining farmers to harvest their crops so that they can make way to your gongs? What do you take people for? Who do you think you are? You are not God. After the anguish you have caused among the white Zimbabweans seizing properties without compensation and killing some in the process and now you have the guts to ask them back. To where? What happened to the slogans land to the people? Or maybe some of the white former farmers who have resettled in neighbouring countries have seized to be white but have been tranformed by some magic into blacks. Lucifer and your disciples you thought you would have it nice until when. Vanhu vavakufa nenzara and now wavakutya revolt. Kutoenda ndiko there is no coming back. You will die a vilian. KuHeroes acre for you there is no place. We will bury you kwaZvimba kustand yako.Vana Sithole the true heroes whom you persecuted will lie in peace at long last at the heroes' acre. Any white farmer thinking of coming back should wait until the country returns to nomalcy with a new government that guarentees property rights and security of tenure. Posted By Grace Mugabe , Harare Zim : May 3 2007 03:04 AM when? I want to ask when? Whe will this malarky end? How long have we had to put up with this corruption, deceit and all out pure greed? Vanhu vemu Zimba whats wrong with us? u watch all the European take to the streets in their numbers over the slightest issues, protest and make a difference.. Yet we sit back and watch. the reason most of the attempted marches get squashed is that there are TOO DAM FEW of us in the first place! Lets wake up. If u find 10 bees in ur room, you grab the nearest bottle of mortein and spray them with ease. I u were to enter ur room and find 100 bees... U RUN!!! If the polive forces saw 10 000 people, all marching down Borrowdale road on their way to state house.. WTF do you think they are going to do? Yet they see 200 - 300 ppl.. easy easy to squash. Zimdaily.... set a date, A NEW INDEPENDANCE DAY... somewhere in July. EVERY ZIMBABWEAN WHO IS SICK OF THIS SHIT,, WE MEET ON BORROWDALE ROAD, AT A SPECIFIC TIME, AND WE TAKE THE LONG WALK TO FREEDOM. Posted By Le Tallac , somewhere in the freedom land : May 3 2007 03:51 AM WALK the WALK. We ZIMBABWEANS are totally HOPELESS. We just talk too much. WE are at fault, and allowed a MALAWIAN to destroy our COUNTRY our FUTURE.Thats why we run away from our country, instead of STANDING FIRMLY and DESTROYING the ENEMY. He chased the WHITES away ... Did the SICKO MALAWIAN chase you lot as well in the dispora. Instead you took the easy way out. Dont talk toom much. COME HOME and MARCH the MARCH. WALK the WALK. anyone can talk. Lets MEET in MASSES. Come HOME BRAVE CITIZENS. SHOW YUR POWER and SOLIDARITY for REAL CHANGE !!! HAVE WE THE BALLS to do it... DONT THINK SO !!! Posted By JAMBANJA against MUGABE , MUGABE-LAND : May 3 2007 04:54 AM Shameless Zimbabweans Yes the Malawian destoyed as but ever wonder which country is giving you food sadza on your table everyday. Posted By Zimbo , Morningside Mutare : May 3 2007 02:35 PM WALK THE WALK I certainly agree with you, to tell you the truth your comment is the BEST so that i have read. I am a patriotic Zimbabwean too and battling this DEMON (MUGABE)from there. I think people should stop just laying out what should be done, instead come back home in masses and fight the MONSTER. He is definately taking advantage of the situation at hand to perpetuate human suffering. So lamenting daily and cursing them without ACTION wont solve anything. Come back fellow Zimbabweans and lets drive him and his cronies out! Posted By Ms Moyo , harare zimbabwe : May 3 2007 02:38 PM Ms Moyo Hatidzoki! Posted By Ganyamuto , USA : May 3 2007 05:15 PM Imi vari kumusha Imi vanhu vari kumusha muri kutadza nei kubvisa kamudhara aka? Shuwa munganetswe neharahwa ine 83 years? I mean imagine your own grandfather who is probably 69 or 73 wofunga munhu ane 83 years. Chiri kunetsa chii ipapa? We need more action pane kuswerozhamba. Posted By Tsuro Magen'a , Zengeza 2, Berlin, Germany : May 3 2007 05:27 PM Wozani Chinjai maitiro libuye ekhaya lizosiphathisa. Lifuna ukubuya sokumnandi kuphela? Posted By matrix , koNtuthu Ziyathunqa : May 3 2007 05:42 PM disGrace Bob is a disGrace. We expect farm produce from his war vets. No excuses. Where in hell did they think they will manage farming when they failed in their small fields? It wasn't so easy Bob was it? You got the votes you wanted, now give us food. Posted By Bibi , Blues : May 3 2007 06:37 PM WARNING TO THE BABOON This animal called Mugabe must resign now. Posted By John Motsi , Toronto Canada : May 3 2007 06:42 PM Chokwadi ndechipi This issue of farmers being invited back has been said again and again, but we also hear Didymus Mutasa is saying farms (mostly in Chiredzi)are to be cleared of the last whites. Saka chokwadi ndechipi, tichatevera zvipi? Ari kutaura manyepo apa ndiyani, Zimdaily, Mutasa kana Mugabe? There are also notabe contradictions in other stories that I have read. For example once it was reported that Gracelands has left Matibili (or they had become estranged from each other), with her tete even reportedly confirming it to a reporter. But next, we see the first couple together on a podium, with no body language of any rift at all. Then there was also the issue that stadiums are filled, (but mostly with people force marched by War Vets and Youths). But one becomes surprised why the people are then reported cheering to Matibili's empty slogans and denunciations of Blair and Bush as usual. The people dont boo or jeer him. Lest you think I like ZANU PF, not at all, ndakatotizawo Matibili kumusha, but to be honest, these facts are very confusing. We need accurate reports of what really is the position, or if the policies (like in Matibili's Government are confused) can it be commented by the editors. Posted By N. Mungofa , Slough UK : May 3 2007 07:33 PM The right to bear arms Zimbabweans can learn from the US. In the US people are given the right to bear arms. This is not done to protect one agains villians. It is a constitutional right given to keep the government honest. When the terrorist Mugabe came to power, the first act he took was to disarm the people. You have to adopt New Hampshire's state moto: Live Free Or Die! Mugabe will only leave in a casket! Grow a set of balls, and fight! Mugabe was never a hero, he was place on the hot seat because the west can control a communist dictator more easily that a patriot. The west can also control a monopolistic capitalist in the same manner. Stand up and be counted. You are a great nation. You must fight, or, stop talking about it. Action most certainly speaks louder than words! Another thought, if the Iraqis were not permitted to bear arms, the US would have easily cowed them. Guns are important for freedom! There is no army in the world that can defeat an armed population! Posted By John Nash , Chicago, IL USA : May 4 2007 06:33 AM 14 Comments | Add Your Comment | Forums

 

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