Why Do White Farmers Not Deserve the UNs Intervention?
Why is this thug--Robert Mugabe--not stopped? And why did our own JC wimp out on sanctions being instituted against Mugabe at the last Commonwealth Conference? JC stays on the side of the cara dura every time!
Zimbabwe's commercial farmers held their 60th annual congress yesterday, but it was a day of heartache, gloom and tears for the dwindling band, some of whom now depend on charity to survive.
As another appeal went out for international donors to replenish emergency food stocks for almost half Zimbabwe's population, President Robert Mugabe renewed expired notices of acquisition on 152 farms yesterday, including five prime ranches in the Matabeleland province, belonging to the Oppenheimer mining dynasty of South Africa.
White commercial farmers hear nothing to lift their gloom at their 60th annual congress Doug Taylor-Freeme, the vice-president of the farmers' union, told the meeting that Mr Mugabe's policies had destroyed the agricultural sector. "Zimbabwe continues on its downward path to economic ruin with no relief in sight," he said. Agricultural production had fallen more than 50 per cent in the past year, he added.
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Until three years ago, agricultural produce accounted for 40 per cent of Zimbabwe's exports. Now it cannot sell beef to the European Union under preferential tariffs, not only because it does not have enough quality cattle left, but because the chaos allowed foot and mouth to spread across the country.
. . . Zimbabwe will grow less than 10 per cent of its normal wheat production this year. . . .
"Zimbabwe will continue to slide until agriculture recovers. That is why we are gathering data for compensation for farmers. . . .
Out of 4,000 productive white commercial farmers three years ago, fewer than 400 remain on their land. About 300,000 black workers and their families working and living on former white commercial farms are in abject poverty, according to the union's president, Colin Cloete. They were left out of Mr Mugabe's land reform programme and are jobless, homeless and hungry.
The only ones who get these farms are thugs -- friends and strong supporters of Mugabe. I understand most of them don't know how to run a farm -- but they support Mugabe, the only requirement.
Check The Telegraph for more of this article and for other articles on this topic.
