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Robert Mugabe and his ZANU PF party have always insisted that the government’s land reform programme is meant to correct ‘historical imbalances’ and give land to landless black Zimbabweans, through a one man one farm policy. But over the last decade productive farms have been taken from white commercial farmers and given to a new black elite. This weekend journalist Peta Thornycroft also revealed that Robert and Grace Mugabe ‘own’ 12 farms between them.
The President is said to have bought one farm near his rural home in Zvimba, Mashonaland West but then he went on to grab five other neighbouring farms.
Grace is said to have taken over six commercial farms, including Gushungo Dairy Estate in Mazowe, formerly known as Foyle Farm, which was the top dairy farm in Zimbabwe. The farm owner faced a campaign of violence over many months in 2003 until he was forced to sell his property at a quarter of its value, and ultimately he only received 40 percent of that amount. Russell Goreraza, Grace’s son from her first marriage, manages the farm.
It has also emerged that Nestlé is Mrs Mugabe’s biggest customer and she is said to be selling up to a million litres of milk a year to the multinational food company. Nestle has said it was left with little choice but to buy milk from Gushungo Dairy Estate, because so many other milk producers had shut down. It’s alleged that Mrs Mugabe uses an unmarked £100,000 tanker and trailer to deliver milk three times a week to Nestlé’s plant on an industrial estate on the outskirts of Harare.
The Mugabe’s are on a list of targeted sanctions by the European Union but the Swiss company is not obliged to comply with the targeted measures because Switzerland is not a member of the EU. However, the country has its own set of measures against the Mugabes, one of which states it “is forbidden to make funds available to persons mentioned, or put them, directly or indirectly, at their disposition”.
Thornycroft told SW Radio Africa on Monday that an incredible amount of money has been spent on Gushongo Dairy Farm, “And yet, despite this enormous amount of money and with the latest German, Swedish and Polish milking equipment, she still only produces a fraction of the amount of milk that the previous farm owner used to produce.
On June 27th Mrs Mugabe told the state-controlled Herald newspaper that the farm had been in a dilapidated state before she became the new owner, but Thornycroft said: “It may have looked not posh but it was extremely productive. It was a top dairy estate in Zimbabwe and it held its own in world records as well. Now it produces about a 6th of what it used to produce.”
Nestle has been criticised by rights groups for helping the First Lady to accumulate wealth through the controversial land acquisition policy that only benefits a small elite. A number of South Africans were on Monday making calls urging the public to boycott Nestle, because its Zimbabwean operation is buying milk from a farm controlled by Mrs Mugabe.
The other five farms ‘owned’ by the First Lady are:
The 2,500 acre Iron Mask Estate. Grace Mugabe personally ordered elderly owners John and Eva Matthews to leave, giving them just 48 hours.
Sigaro Farm taken from Joe Kennedy, a major seed producer;
Gwebi Wood, which had been bought by Washington Matsaire, the chief executive of Standard Chartered Bank’s Zimbabwe subsidiary, in 2001;
In December last year, Ben Hlatshwayo, a high court judge who had evicted Vernon Nicolle from the 1,445-acre Gwina farm, was in turn forced out by alleged “unlawful conduct” on Mrs Mugabe’s part, according to court papers he reportedly filed;
Mrs Mugabe is also in control of the 1,740-acre Leverdale farm.
Thornycroft, who has visited the various farms, said sadly it’s been a takeover of lucrative farms which have now been devastated. She said Gwina farm, for example, produced 20% of the country’s wheat and was a massive tobacco and maize producer but there is no large scale production taking place now. “It is really the tragedy of these vibrant sectors, now in the hands of amateurs.”
Thornycroft confirmed the Mugabes have 12 farms, saying: “They do have. There may be more that we don’t know about.”
Although Robert Mugabe bought the 445ha Highfield Farm near his rural home, the other five farms were seized from their white owners. Three were owned by the Skea family – Cressydale, John O’Groat and Tankatara – who were forced out between 2000 and 2002 and have emigrated to Australia and New Zealand. The owners of the other two farms – Clifford and Cressydale – were forced out in 2006 and 2008.
Analysts say this is the real reason there have been delays in allowing an audit of land ownership, as required by the GPA, because it will reveal the multiple farms owned by the Mugabes and others in the ruling elite.
Meanwhile, the General Agriculture and Plantation Workers Union of Zimbabwe (GAPWUZ) have reported that over 66,000 farm workers have been made homeless since February and are fighting for survival following the new spate of invasions of white-owned farms. GAPWUZ said the farms’ new ‘owners’ had hired the police to force farm workers and their families off the land. It’s reported most of the workers were now living rough, by the roadside or in the mountains, where they had set up squatter camps.
SW Radio Africa
This is a racist article that seeks to justify resistance to land redistribution. Until white consider themselves as Zimbabweans and not as White farmers in Zimbabwe, we will treat them with the sins committed by their fathers. Who is Thorncroft by the way plus anoita nenzveyi? I am not a Mugabe or ZANU PF support but I support the land redistribution 200%. Whatever was being produced at the farm was not for Zimbabweans but was for for their own personal aggrandizement. What is ours is ours, what we do with our land is up to us, whether we use that land to produce nothing is neither here nor there!
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Thorncroft is some racist bastard who thinks he knows about our country more than us Gwandomba. They would do themselves a favour if they could show that they are serious about land reform instead of tring to resist at every turn. Sooner or later another Mugabe will arise. Unlike you though, I am 200% zanu and Mugabe.cheers
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” whether we use that land to produce nothing is neither here nor there!”
^^^^^^^
Gwandomba, just because you can fart it does not mean you can farm!!
This is HERE: recurrent food shortages
That is THERE: political turmoil
What’s also here and there is you support Zanu and Mugabe 400%. It’s your right. Cheers.
-Vakuru Chaivo-
***Ndeipi Abel, good looking on the ‘confession’ finally! – that fence sitting BS almost cost you your farm I guess***
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This is where I get confused with those that whinge about racism every-time a white person speaks out. Have you actually read the content of the report or you just concluded that it is racist just because it was filed by a white person? The article speaks for itself, the first looters have grabbed twelve farms between them and if the chaotic land reform programme was actually benefiting the people as they said it would then this wouldn’t be so! It is a simple matter of the Mugabes claiming to work for the people yet enriching themselves at our expense. Lastly, I have always been proud of how Zimbabweans are objective and enlightened about what goes on around them, but we are beginning to stoop too low by adopting gushungo’s gospel about all criticism of what is wrong about our country being racism. Are we to say a murderer and a thief like Mugabe isn’t one because it has been reported by a western media outlet??
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Majerasi, you are damn right, I dont waste time reading an article which I read elsewhere. I know this Thornycroft chap too well. These western media outlets should leave us alone and not interfere in our daily lives otherwise we punish their kith and kin here, pure and simple.
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Abel Peta Thornycroft is not a chap. SHE is used to denote females (no Caster Semenya). That shows you have no idea what you are talking about, read the story again this time.
“Thornycroft, who has visited the various farms, said sadly it’s been a takeover of lucrative farms which have now been devastated. SHE said Gwina farm………”
-Vakuru Chaivo-
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@ Abel.
I note your statement that Western Media outlets should leave Zimbabwe alone. I also note that you think they are interfering in your daily life…Please explain for us Morons who are ignorant of these effects, exactly what effect are they having?.
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so you know you are a moron Realist? Thats a good start sir/madam.
Are you also not aware of the interference of Western Media in the way they write about Mugabe. That in turn gives a certain view to potential investors who will inturn shy away from Zim. When I say investors, I mean all countries not just USA and UK like you might think. Is this not interfering? They think if they cannot get a piece of the Zim pie than noone else should.
Also when the West peddle a lot of lies about our country, they end up rallying people to come to their side on issues like sanctions.
Is this not interference sir/madam? If they spend day and night reporting negatively is that not interference? Thats why they are too scared to come here because they know they are filthy liars and we will give them a real whacking if they come.
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Thank you Abel…I was unsure of the thrust of your argument…Let me be candid….The Western Media look on president Mugabe as a dangerous buffoon. They have no interest in sanctions etc.., they just want an entertaining story. He is as reliable as the Monsoons. He provides unlimited entertainment. The sanctions as you call them and everyone else calls targeted sanctions must be hurting. I look forward to another delightful and side-splitting performance from your geriatric President in the near future. If the Western media is causing embarrasment thyen the solution is clear..get rid of the restrictive media laws in Zimbabwe….Simple.
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I’m worried that Abel still hasn’t addressed the crux of the matter. The story says the first family has looted twelve farms between them. But we have been told that farms were taken away from white farmers to resettle landless people. To date Mugabe’s office have not denied that he indeed owns these farms, infact they have confirmed ownership of some of the farms! So we can safely conclude that this report is FACT. So whatever colour Ms Thornycroft’s skin is or whatever the western media says is irrelevant…it is simple…farms have been taken for Mr. Mugabe and his wife’s benefit. We dont need CNN to tell that to us. Go visit those farms like what Thornycroft did if you want to oppose her findings!.
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Majerasi, we may be saying the same thing but iwe urikuzosarira munzira. I do not support Bob and family hoarding land but these CNN friends of yours report it in such a way that they would have preferred to keep the land with their kith and kin. If CNN reported it in such a way that they want a farm to be taken from Bob and given to Majerasi I am sure we would not have all these resistances. Even the white boys themselves can have a piece of the pie (Provided they behave like Zimbabweans and not rush to Brown to report on problems instead of their president). The problem is they want to vilify Bob to their advantage and not to the advantage of the Zimbabwean populance. So long they continue on that path, I will have to cut off my donkey’s horns before they succeed in their struggle.
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at least cnn reports it…zbc does not report anything at all…..im with majerasi 500%.call a spade a spade and a spoon a spoon……call a dictator a dictator.tel it like it is.don’t complain about how cnn does it when you have a propaganda machine in your backyard,uneducated africans.
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Thats exactly what we are doing destiny. In fact we never need to justify anything to you guys, we simply act by whipping you into line.
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My wise father has always told me that when a man tries to solve issues through violence and not intellect, it shows his lack of the latter…sadly Abel confirms that…and he is apparently not a Mugabe supporter.
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Like hell you are right Majerasi, I may not be a Mugabe supporter but I definitely an an MDC-T hater. I hate those boys and girls with a passion!!!! Where I see them being smacked I rejoice. How do you invite suffering to your own nation so that you can get into power?
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Abel. How do you create suffering in your own Nation so you can hold on to power because your country does not want you ??????????????.
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Bobby, do you do buffonery for a profession or something? Did zanu pf ask for zidera or SA to cut electricity supplies?
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supplies will be cut due to lack of payment.
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