Mugabe to ask whites back in land grab U-turn
By Peta Thornycroft in Harare
09/02/2006
www.telegraph.co.uk
President Robert Mugabe has begun to reverse his "insane" land grab and offer some white farmers the chance to lease back their holdings in Zimbabwe.

With the fastest shrinking economy in the world, Mr Mugabe has had to backtrack on six years of chaos and his own determination to rid the country of all white farmers.

In an orgy of violence, Mr Mugabe seized the land, homes, equipment and infrastructure of about 4,000 white commercial farmers who produced almost half of Zimbabwe's foreign currency.

The U-turn is expected to be announced within days. The ruling Zanu-PF party's politburo has been informed and selected journalists in the state-controlled media have been briefed on how to spin the policy reversal.

About 250 whites remaining on small portions of their farms will immediately be offered state leases for the land they used to own. Some will be hoping that their full land holdings will be restored at a later stage.

The leases will, farmers hope, give them some legal protection from local warlords continuously trying to evict them or seize their equipment or crops.

In a second stage, the leases will be extended to some white farmers who have already been evicted, particularly where there is no activity on that land. Some fled to Britain, Australia, New Zealand or South Africa and are desperately homesick.

The government is expected to admit in the next few days that it has only used about 50 per cent of the land it seized. In reality, land economists say the figure of idle land is nearer 80 to 90 per cent.

The new policy is understood to have been approved by Mr Mugabe but it is unlikely he will announce it, as the government hopes to play down the U-turn.

It will be executed by two of his most trusted lieutenants: the lands minister Didymus Mutasa and the agriculture minister Joseph Made. Neither was available for comment yesterday.

In anticipation of this change of policy, the Commercial Farmers Union has advised some members to apply for leases, and some farmers have already filled in lease applications at the agriculture ministry.

The union yesterday issued a rare statement calling for a ''moratorium on land and agricultural policies''. All those involved in agriculture should get together and "rebuild the entire industry to return as the principal employer of labour and generator of food and foreign exchange", it said.

"We have the energy and capacity to help bring Zimbabwe back once again to be the bread basket of the sub-continent."

The statement was signed by the CFU president, Doug Taylor-Freeme, who would not comment on the change of policy. "We need to create some stability on the ground for existing farmers if we want any investment in agriculture. That's the first step.

"All land has been acquired by the state for one reason or another but the issue now is who uses that land? We believe it should be farmers. When you look at the state of agriculture and the state of the economy we need to find the right balance."

Behind closed doors last week, the International Monetary Fund told Zimbabwe's finance minister Herbert Murerwa - who has helped himself to a white-owned farm - that land seizures should halt immediately and that without increased agricultural production there was no chance of halting Zimbabwe's slide.

While this is a reversal of Zanu PF's policy to rid Zimbabwe of all white farmers, some of those who lost their holdings are cynical about any offers from the government. Many will need convincing that the offer is genuine unless it is openly endorsed by Mr Mugabe and, even then, they may still be sceptical about a president who has broken promises in the past. "The government vastly underestimates the damage of its insane policies," said one of Zimbabwe's former top cereal producers. "They probably believe that allowing some of us to return will turn the economy around in a single season. We won't be able to do anything without international finance, and we won't get that until there is political reform," he said.

"It's bloody miserable out there. All our friends have gone, our equipment has been broken, irrigation has been vandalised, our homes have been wrecked, the roads are a mess, our workers have gone so why should we return? I am sure there will be some clots who are so damn miserable in other countries or living in towns that they will go back.

"We should be campaigning for compensation, not going back to help people who wrecked our country."

2 words
SELOUS SCOUTS

Send them Jimmy the C!

He'll build them dozens of homes and houses etc.

If I were a farmer that was forced out, I'll be darned if I were to return to rebuild the farm.  I think a small percentage of farmers will return, but I don't think there would be enough to bring the economy back to its glorious  pre-Mugabe days.

Gee maybe nothing was getting grown eh?

Aviator

yeah and they will be pissed that there is not a instant turnaround and throw um out again  or let the mobs overrun and machet them again


Just wait 50 years anyway  AIDS will take care of the rest unfortantley

Anyone who would willingly return to be under Mugabe's rule has to be clinically insane or terminally stupid.

He has run out of scapegoats. If he needs more in the future, he will do exactly what he did in the past.

Mugabe needs to be shot.

Quoted: 2 words SELOUS SCOUTS

Two words:

I'm fucking out of here, you incompetent, murderous bastard.

Reply should be: F---kin starve you tin horn dicktator.

Quoted: If I were a farmer that was forced out, I'll be darned if I were to return to rebuild the farm.  I think a small percentage of farmers will return, but I don't think there would be enough to bring the economy back to its glorious  pre-Mugabe days.

Yes, and PAY for the privilige of using YOUR OWN land that they took from you by force.

It's a shame.  These people, the ones kicked out, the ones in poverty, are the EXACT ones who need the small arms that the UN is trying to prevent the sale of.

Fuck mugabe

Quoted: Mugabe to ask whites back in land grab U-turn By Peta Thornycroft in Harare 09/02/2006 www.telegraph.co.uk President Robert Mugabe has begun to reverse his "insane" land grab and offer some white farmers the chance to lease back their holdings in Zimbabwe.WTF? With the fastest shrinking economy in the world, Mr Mugabe has had to backtrack on six years of chaos and his own determination to rid the country of all white farmers.F him to hell and back in the basket he created. In an orgy of violenceI thought their actions were imune from negative labels since they wee oppressed?, Mr Mugabe seized the land, homes, equipment and infrastructuresounds like our own reperations crowd. Though I hope it never happens. of about 4,000 white commercial farmers who produced almost half of Zimbabwe's foreign currency. The U-turn is expected to be announced within days. The ruling Zanu-PF party's politburo has been informed and selected journalists in the state-controlled media have been briefed on how to spin"Uh, we really f-d up bad. Can you all come back and like you know, grow some food or somethin'? I'm afraid I'll be overthrown or killed if I don't do somethin'" the policy reversal. About 250 whitesSome are still there. I know they are as proud of their homes as we are of ours and it has been impossible for them to immigrate to America, but d*mn, they've been through more SHTF than the worst that we could ever imagine and they are still hanging on. They should be given war medals or somthing. remaining on small portions of their farms will immediately be offered state leases for the land they used to own. Some will be hoping that their full land holdings will be restored at a later stage.Keep dreaming. The leases will, farmers hope, give them some legal protection from local warlords continuously trying to evict them or seize their equipment or crops.Yeah right. It'd be worse than the Americans on the mexican border trying to keep their stuff from being broken, stolen, or themselves from being killed every day. I can not imagine the horror of living in a f'n war zone. In a second stage, the leases will be extended to some white farmers who have already been evicted, particularly where there is no activity on that land. Some fled to Britain, Australia, New Zealand or South Africa and are desperately homesick. The government is expected to admit in the next few days that it has only used about 50 per cent of the land it seized. In reality, land economists say the figure of idle land is nearer 80 to 90 per cent. The new policy is understood to have been approved by Mr Mugabe but it is unlikely he will announce it, as the government hopes to play down the U-turn. It will be executed by two of his most trusted lieutenants: the lands minister Didymus Mutasa and the agriculture minister Joseph Made. Neither was available for comment yesterday. In anticipation of this change of policy, the Commercial Farmers Union has advised some members to apply for leases, and some farmers have already filled in lease applications at the agriculture ministry. The union yesterday issued a rare statement calling for a ''moratorium on land and agricultural policies''. All those involved in agriculture should get together and "rebuild the entire industry to return as the principal employer of labour and generator of food and foreign exchange", it said.F-you, F-you, F-you. "We have the energy and capacity to help bring Zimbabwe back once again to be the bread basket of the sub-continent."F-you, F-you, F-you. If you hadn't messed it up in the first place you wouldn't be in the mess you are today!!! The statement was signed by the CFU president, Doug Taylor-Freeme, who would not comment on the change of policy. "We need to create some stability on the ground for existing farmers if we want any investment in agriculture. That's the first step. "All land has been acquired by the state for one reason or another but the issue now is who uses that land? We believe it should be farmers. When you look at the state of agriculture and the state of the economy we need to find the right balance." Behind closed doors last week, the International Monetary Fund told Zimbabwe's finance minister Herbert Murerwa - who has helped himself to a white-owned farm - that land seizures should halt immediately and that without increased agricultural production there was no chance of halting Zimbabwe's slide.Good While this is a reversal of Zanu PF's policy to rid Zimbabwe of all white farmers, some of those who lost their holdings are cynical about any offers from the government. Many will need convincing that the offer is genuine unless it is openly endorsed by Mr Mugabe and, even then, they may still be sceptical about a president who has broken promises in the past. "The government vastly underestimates the damage of its insane policies," said one of Zimbabwe's former top cereal producers. "They probably believe that allowing some of us to return will turn the economy around in a single season. We won't be able to do anything without international finance, and we won't get that until there is political reform," he said. "It's bloody miserable out there. All our friends have gone, our equipment has been broken, irrigation has been vandalised, our homes have been wrecked, the roads are a mess, our workers have gone so why should we return? I am sure there will be some clots who are so damn miserable in other countries or living in towns that they will go back. "We should be campaigning for compensation, not going back to help people who wrecked our country."

This pissed me off years ago when I first started reading about it. It's one of those things that make my brain lock up. There are good people suffering out there because of racism, hatred, and low life scum. And now the low life scum realizes that running a government is more than just killing, rpaing, and looting!!! F-'em. Send in the troops. Evacuate the willing. Nuke 'em from orbit!!!

Sorry, this just pisses me off.

On a bad day, when I've had too much to drink, and am not thinking all that coherantly. I can imagine the same thing happening here. People are people and people suck.

They need to get rid of this guy so he'll stop sending me email about some money tied up in a bank!

I hope NONE of those farmers go back.

That country need to really hit rock bottom so that these white farmers can dictate the terms of their return (if ever).

Let the country rot for a few more decades.

CMOS

It sure sounds like the Telgraph was one of the news orginizations invited to the spin session.

Some fled to Britain, Australia, New Zealand or South Africa and are desperately homesick.

Desperately homesick?  Desperately homesick is not how I would feel after fleeing my home at machette point.

Quoted: Desperately homesick?  Desperately homesick is not how I would feel after fleeing my home at machette point.

That's the truth.

Or how about watching your nation cease to exist at the hands of an embargo perpetrated by the U.N., the U.S., and the U.K.?  All while your neighboring countries (who hate you) are increasingly supported by the communists.

Mugabe was "elected" in 1981.  And he stayed.  And he destroyed the country.  He must go and Rhodesia must be reinstated - but that will never happen.

Message to Mugabe - "sow the wind, reap the whirlwind, MF"

ETA - eww, post 666!

Viva Le Revolution!!

Mugabe needs a tire around his neck!

Let me get this straight. Black racist dictator kills, rapes, and robs white farmers until they leave or are dead.
Country falls into chaos.
Now wants whites back? Who would be stupid enough to return? Let nature work it out.

This is starting to go on in South Africa as well. I believe the USA is directly responsible by trying to enforce its own extremist racist policies on other countries. The US supported the communist overthrow of the white govt there.

Anybody that goes back is absolutely insane. At least while Mugabe and his ilk are in power.

Quoted: Desperately homesick?  Desperately homesick is not how I would feel after fleeing my home at machette point.

Some of them might be, in a way. Rhodesia was supposed to be a great place before Mugabe took over.

Quoted: Mugabe needs a tire around his neck!

+1

Quoted: yeah and they will be pissed that there is not a instant turnaround and throw um out again  or let the mobs overrun and machet them again Just wait 50 years anyway  AIDS will take care of the rest unfortantley

Quoted: Anyone who would willingly return to be under Mugabe's rule has to be clinically insane or terminally stupid. He has run out of scapegoats. If he needs more in the future, he will do exactly what he did in the past. Mugabe needs to be shot nuked from orbit.

Couldn't happen to a more deserving subhuman.  Best to be sure.

F Mugabe, his thugs, and his supporters.

Let Mugabestan starve.

It's always so sad when a murderous thief shoots himself in the foot....
~