Again from the Sunday News, Zimbabwe. I have no idea why this story sent a chill down my spine, perhaps because it might be true:
Zim set precedence on land reform in Africa
Farming Reporter (Unnamed, likely Leon Mugabe, due to writing style, nephew of Zimbabwean Dictator.)
ZIMBABWE has set a precedence for most African countries on how to economically empower its people through the equitable redistribution of land among its people, analysts have said. (Delta beer must be incredibly intoxicating, as it seems to make every unnamed "expert" say exactly what the Zimbabwean government wants them to.)
This follows a five-day state visit by the Namibian deputy Minister of Land, and Resettlement, Mr Isak Katali, last week to see the success of the resettlement exercise embarked on by the Government.
Mr Isak Katali’s mission was to get first-hand information on the land reform exercise and to see progress made by the new farmers. (Who have been on these properties for over six years and have only been able to feed half the population on a good year.)
He said sanctions or no sanctions Namibia would continue with its land reform aimed at giving back land to the black majority. (Perish the thought, what a stupid idea.)
The Namibian minister visited A1 and A2 resettled farmers in the country to learn how Zimbabwe has tackled the challenges associated with land reform. (This line makes it seem like a lie, coupled with the fact that the day he returned, he proposed strengthening border security to keep starving Zimbabweans out.)
The delegation held a meeting with Ministers of State for National Security, Lands, Land Reform and Resettlement, Cde Didymus Mutasa, Environment and Tourism Cde Francis Nhema and Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Cde Patrick Chinamasa. Social commentator Mr Augustine Timbe said despite the continued isolation of Zimbabwe by Western countries (Here "West" means North and South America, Asia, Europe, Australia, and any African country with a positive GDP growth rate in the previous year. The notable exceptions are such glowing democracies and economnic giants as Iran, Cuba, North Korea, and a few others who shuffle on their Zimbabwe position) more and more African governments have begun to realise that the land reform programme is the way forward if the masses are to be economically empowered ("Economic Empowerment and an inflation rate of 1,042%, and widespread hunger all appear to be unrelated in these people's minds).
“There is no better way of empowering the people than giving them land (nevermind the tools to use it of course) and it is interesting to note that countries in Africa particularly in southern Africa (read those with negative GDP growth) are beginning to realise it,” he said.
The Namibian minister said, despite getting little assistance from the international community to carry out its land reforms, Namibia has mobilised its own resources to speed up the process and ensure that the re-distribution of land takes off. Namibia, like Zimbabwe, has embarked on a land reform programme under both the willing-seller willing-buyer basis as well as through appropriation as part of efforts to empower the black majority who have been robbed of their heritage by the imperialists (who paid huge sums of money for the land). Mr Timbe said land ownership was one of the key means of production and that is why the colonialists do not want to give it up.
He said Zimbabwe was now being viewed as a role model by other countries that want to embark on the exercise. Mr Katali said Namibia would expropriate land to speed up its land reform programme if the willing-buyer willing-seller system fails to address the land imbalances. Mr Katali said Namibia would follow Zimbabwe’s example to economically empower indigenous people by expediting its land reform programme.
“The purpose of our visit is to come and look and listen to our colleagues in Zimbabwe on how they tackled their successful land reform programme.
“We feel the speed they took the land is commendable and we would like to see how they did it,” Mr Katali said.
He added that land reform was an important aspect that needed to be urgently addressed as most of the land was still in the hands of the minority in his country.
“Land reform is important to Namibia and we feel that the same colonisers are the same people who colonised Zimbabwe. We also feel that, if the people of Zimbabwe did this we can do it in the same manner,” he said.
Another commentator, Prof Heneri Dzinotyiweyi, said there was no doubt that the land redistribution in the country will spur more countries to follow suit.
He said the problems with African countries were that they were afraid of the Western powers but since Zimbabwe has defied that notion, more were bound to do.
“Though we have had our fair share of challenges during the land reform, our African counterparts have more to learn from us so as to avoid making the same mistakes like we did,” he said.
He said it was such an honour for the country to have other countries to see how certain things are done.
“It’s encouraging to note that while other countries are not seeing anything positive in the programme there are others who actually want to emulate us.
“As a country we should ensure that we do not fail and continue working towards an efficient and total utilisation of the land that we have been given,” said Prof Dzinotyiweyi. Mr Katali said the country was facing various challenges and had decided to use the expropriation system together with the willing-buyer willing-seller policy. Namibia embarked on its land reform programme in 2002 but the process of acquiring land and redistributing it to the landless majority has been slow. Namibia has managed to acquire about 829 486 hectares so far, short of the land resettlement target of nine million hectares.
“Since independence, a number of people have been in need of land. We have managed to resettle a significant number and that is why we are trying to go with the willing-buyer willing-seller approach together with the expropriation system,” he said.
He said the Namibian government has already set aside funds to finance the programme. “In Namibia, government sets aside money every year for the purchase of land. If government is expropriating any property it will use its own money to compensate,” he said.
He said the opposition parties in Namibia were supportive of the land redistribution programme.
