About 2 900 white-owned farms in Zimbabwe have been ordered to cease operating on Monday after a controversial land reform law was amended to give the government sweeping powers to seize farmland
for redistribution, according to a farmer’s representative.
But many of the affected farmers ignored the deadline and continued their business, Commercial Farmers Union (CFU) representative Jenni Williams said.
On May 10 the government amended the Land Acquisition Act to order farmers whose property has been earmarked for acquisition to stop farming 45 days after a notice of acquisition has been issued
and vacate their property within 90 days.
For farmers who had been issued with government notices to take over their property before the law was changed, the 45-day notice period to stop farming came into effect from the day the law was passed.
”A lot … are just going to stay as they cannot stop farming in 45 days. We will have to stand our ground and see what happens,” Williams said.
The affected farmers, according to CFU, represent about 60% of the white farmers who held some 4 800 title deeds before the controversial land reforms turned violent two years ago, as government supporters calling themselves war veterans began
occupying white farms and demanded that they be redistributed to landless blacks.
Lands Minister, Joseph Made, was quoted on state radio at the weekend as saying the number of farmers affected was much less than the CFU claimed, but would not specify the numbers.
Farmers who ignore the deadline will be liable to two years in jail or a Zim$20 000 fine or both.
A CFU representative expressed fears of violence on the farms as the deadline passed and farmers vowed to continue working.
”There are fears of violence. We do anticipate there will be violence and we hope it will be curtailed,” said Williams.
Some tobacco farmers who had made a special application to the government to continue farming until the end of next season, early next year, had their request turned down, according to the state-run Herald newspaper.
The CFU representative said Friday that, in addition to farmers who have to stop operations, an estimated 232 000 farm workers would also have to stop working on Monday in line with the amended law. – Sapa-AFP