Under his watch, thousands of blacks began moving unto
prosperous farms in 2000, staking ownership claims and destroying productivity.
Mugabe encouraged the occupations, saying the farms were evidence
of continuing colonialism.
Zimbabwe’s white farmers had developed world-leading herds
of cattle, high crop yields and excellent quality, but it all came undone
during the mass seizures of their properties.
Now the new agriculture minister has declared the takeovers
illegal and has ordered the settlers off the farms.
That sets the stage for the white farmers to resume
ownership and management of their farms.
Agriculture was once the mainstay of the country’s economy
which has since fallen into disarray. It’s currency is worthless and many
transactions are done in U.S. dollars.
Perrance
Shiri, a military hardliner who was head of the air force before being picked
for the critical land and agriculture ministry this month, called for
“unquestionable sanity on the farms,” the government-owned Herald newspaper
reported.
