Taurai Masamba

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has assured the nation that the land reform programme will not be reversed. He said this when he was addressing a star rally at Pfupajena Stadium in Chegutu on Friday.

President Mnangagwa criticised Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) interim vice president, Tendai Biti for wishing to reverse the land reform programme in the event of his party taking over power.

“Biti aitaura musi uno uyu kuti kana tatora (masimba) toda kuti mapurazi adzokere kuvarungu. Hazvifi zvakaitika. Biti, hazvifi zvakaitika izvozvo tiri vapenyu. Takabatanidza mhuri yeZimbabwe nenyika yavo, nevhu ravo. Hakuchina achazviparadzanisa zvakare,” the President said. 

The opposition has never hidden its wish to reverse the land reform programme to please and benefit its Western constituency. Back in 2000 the MDC founding leader, the late Morgan Tsvangirai received a lot of financial support from white former farmers, who hoped that he would unseat ZANU PF and restore the land they lost as Government used the land reform programme to address the land ownership imbalance that existed at the time. Just over 4 000 white farmers owned vast tracts of land while the majority of blacks remained crowded in the communal lands nearly two decades after independence.

In July 2020, Government signed a deal to pay US$3.5bn in compensation to white former farmers who were displaced from farms by the land reform programme. Contrary to the Biti’s desire, the compensation deal demonstrated Government’s commitment to conclude the programme and ensure that ordinary Zimbabweans benefitted on a permanent basis.