* Union says investment deal stalled over inclusion of land
* Urges farmers to stay away from deals without protection
By Muchena Zigomo
JOHANNESBURG, Oct 12 (Reuters) – South Africa’s biggest farmers union Agri SA on Monday urged the country’s government to ensure a planned investment protection agreement with Zimbabwe includes a clause to protect land and property rights.
South Africa and Zimbabwe have for several years been in talks over a bilateral investment promotion and protection agreement that would pave way for South African investment in Zimbabwe and, among other things, protect the properties of South African nationals in the country’s northern neighbour.
However, the conclusion of the agreement, which was expected to have been signed earlier this year, has apparently been stalled by Zimbabwe’s demand to have land omitted from the pact.
“Agri SA wishes to urge the South African government not to succumb to Zimbabwe’s demands to exclude land from the proposed bilateral investment agreement between the two governments,” the union said in a statement.
It said South Africa’s response to the demands “will also send an important signal to local land owners regarding the South African government’s willingness to respect and protect their interests (in South Africa) and in (a) regional context”.
South Africa’s government plans to resubmit a draft law to parliament that would make it easier for the state to forcibly seize land if negotiations to buy it from white farmers fail.
But farmers’ groupings say the law would be unconstitutional and have called for more protection for their properties.
INVESTMENT DRIVE
Thousands of white farmers have fled Zimbabwe since 2000, when President Robert Mugabe’s government started often violent seizures of land from whites to give to blacks under a land reform programme.
Critics say the land reforms were responsible for plunging farm output and accelerated the collapse of Zimbabwe’s economy, whose recovery is the biggest challenge for a new inclusive government formed by Mugabe and rival Morgan Tsvangirai.
Agri SA said several South African farmers and business people had had their farming assets in Zimbabwe confiscated by the government without compensation.
“This should first be rectified before investment can be considered,” Agri SA said.
Since the formation of the unity government, Zimbabwe has been on a drive to attract foreign investment to key sectors in a bid to boost its economy.
While Agri SA has been leading a push for South African farmers to invest and farm in a number of other countries across Africa, including the Republic of Congo, Libya and Zambia, the union has urged its members to stay away from countries where South Africa has no investment protection agreements.
Agriculture minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson has also said the government will not assist any South African farmers going into countries where they have no protection.
Source: Reuters
It’s good in principle to sign for the BIPA but with the experience of Zanu-PF for the past ten years and more with other fellow African countries where they sign documents and agreements but only take those papers/documents to be worse than toilet paper boggles the mind. The so called land revolution by Mugabe meant to get votes has violated the BIPAs with France, Netherlands, Sweden etc, etc and all progressive and developed societies leaving the whole populations starving and even importing food from countries as far afield as the EU when ALL is available, plenty of rains, good soils but zero commercial agriculture and property rights makes the wise laughingstocks. We seem to be sitting on time bombs of erratic weather trends and poor marketing trends, political instabilities while populations starve to death. During the Mozambiquen civil war an AK47 with bullets could be exchanged for a loaf of bread that wont last for a day for a starving average man.
L.Nyati
I find it quite foolish for countries to sign these BIPAs which result in them owning most of the resources in lands that are not native to them. Revolutions will simply come and undo them. Its only a matter of time but it will happen elsewhere. The baboon just accelerated it but its inevitable , thats just how life is, complicated.
A while ago I saw a documentary on white S A farmers who had formed vigilante groups to arrest and deport Zimbabwean border jumpers.
Their excuse was that the Zimbos were destroying their fences and property etc…..
One woman was trying to run away and her skirt was caught but the barbed wire leaving her modesty unprotected.
SO THE ZIMBABWEAN LAND THEY WANT, BUT ZIMBABWEAN PEOPLE THEY DONT.
I AM NOT SAYING BOB IS RIGHT BY THE WAY. BUT SURELY WE HAVE TO SEE THROUGH SOME OF THESE ACTIONS.
WHEN IS FAIRNESS, HONESTY AND HONOUR GOING TO BE THE CENTRAL THEME?