Zimbabwe to compensate white farmers

The government of Zimbabwe will start paying 3.5 billion USD in compensation to farmers who lost land under former President Robert Mugabe’s administration. Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce’s Christopher Mugaga told Newzroom Afrika that there have been different views on handling this issue. 

Around 4,000 white farmers lost their homes and large areas of land when Zimbabwe’s former president, Robert Mugabe, initiated a controversial and often violent land redistribution program in 2000. Mugabe, who passed away in 2019, said the initiative aimed to correct colonial-era land inequalities after the country’s independence in 1980.

According to ABC news, Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube announced that the government has approved compensation of $351.6 million for 441 local white farmers and $196.6 million for 94 foreign farmers. However, only 1% of the amount for local farmers, about $3.5 million, will be paid in cash, with the remainder issued via treasury bonds. Foreign farmers, hailing from Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and eastern Europe, will share an initial $20 million equally.

During the land seizures, which were led by war veterans, some white farmers and their workers suffered violent attacks, with Human Rights Watch documenting deaths, beatings, and rapes.