HARARE – White commercial farmers in Zimbabwe have voiced their frustration over the government’s delay in compensating them for expropriated land, leaving many of them destitute. In a joint letter to the Ministry of Finance dated December 10, the Commercial Farmers Union (CFU) and the Southern African Commercial Alliance (SACA) requested urgent discussions with the government regarding the ongoing compensation process.
The farmers are particularly concerned about the government’s payments to a group of farmers known as the Property and Farm Compensation Association (PROFCA). This group agreed to accept government compensation in bonds for improvements made to their farms. However, the CFU claims that the government has prioritized payments to PROFCA members, while disregarding interim relief payments approved by Parliament for other farmers under the broader Global Compensation Deed (GCD).
The CFU’s letter stated that many of its members are now destitute, with their livelihoods severely affected. “The US$35 million allocated in the 2024 budget was earmarked for the payment of compensation under the GCD, but your Ministry appears to have exclusively provided for the PROFCA agreement and disregarded the interim relief payments previously approved by Parliament,” the letter said. “Many of the broader pool of GCD claimants are now destitute and have had their dignity taken away while being owed significant compensation.”
Zimbabwe is compensating farmers only for the assets on the land, not the land itself. Under a 2020 agreement, the government committed to compensating approximately 4,000 white farmers, though it has missed several payment deadlines. The total cost of the compensation deal is expected to reach US$3.5 billion over the course of 10 years.
The CFU and SACA expressed concerns that the government’s current approach is undermining trust and risking the success of the structured dialogue platform established to facilitate the compensation process. According to official data, around 1,300 former white commercial farmers have registered to receive compensation.
For the fiscal year that ended on March 31, the government set aside US$35 million to begin payments and US$10 million for the current fiscal year. The African Development Bank has identified at least 439 former landowners as beneficiaries of the financial settlement totaling US$331 million.
Andrew Bvumbe, the head of debt management in the finance ministry, assured that the government will continue making payments to farmers who wish to receive compensation.
Bloomberg/newZWire
