Zimbabwe’s first lady defends land reform policy

Zimbabwe’s First Lady Grace Mugabe has defended the government’s land reform policy widely-criticized by western countries, saying it is one way to economically empower people, the official ‘Herald’ reported. “Land is the economy and as we begin to allow our people to get their fair share of this resource, we can look forward to improved lifestyles and a greater degree of peace and stability in the nation,” she was quoted as saying. She said in many rural areas, the available land was no longer able to sustain population growth. The first lady called for fair treatment of women in the allocation of land under the ongoing land reform program.