Land acquisition gazetted

The government of President Robert Mugabe on Tuesday gazetted legislation empowering the government to acquire 841 white-owned farms for resettlement by landless peasants.

Jonathan Moyo, chief strategist of Mugabe’s ruling ZANU-PF party told IRIN the move meant the Land Acquisition Act was now in line with the constitution. But he said because parliament has been dissolved pending next month’s parliamentary election, the new law would only be applicable for the next six months - unless it was ratified by the incoming parliament.

Analysts told IRIN that to ensure the law is not overturned, however, ZANU-PF had to win a sizeable majority in the 150-seat house. Under the constitution, Mugabe has the right to appoint 30 members of the house, leaving only 120 seats to be contested.

Another senior member of his party, Eddison Zvobgo, ZANU-PF’s legal affairs secretary, told the independent ‘Daily News’ on Tuesday the ruling party could be trounced by the labour-based Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).

Referring to the rejection by voters of a government referendum in February proposing the constitutional change and the new land legislation gazetted on Tuesday, he said: “We are afraid that history can repeat itself and we can lose the elections.” Zvobgo, who is also minister-without-portfolio, made the remarks at an election rally in Masvingo, some 200 km south of the capital, Harare.

Following the referendum defeat, ZANU-PF supporters led by independence war veterans started occupying more than 700 white-owned farms across the country. They were also accused of embarking on a campaign of intimidation and violence against farm employees and MDC supporters which has already claimed 23 lives and drawn widespread international criticism. Opponents of the government have accused the ruling party of creating such an atmosphere of fear that it would be impossible to hold free and fair elections next month.

“We really have tough homework because the MDC poses a serious challenge,” Zvobgo said. “If the former fighters had not invaded the farms, then we could be facing serious trouble. The invasions helped the party garner support from the people.”

Moyo dismissed Zvobgo’s remarks outright, saying they did not reflect the official ZANU-PF position. “The fact that one senior member of our party disagrees with another, or with the party, simply shows that we have normal, democratic disagreements. Otherwise it’s business as usual.”

Justice Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa said the legislation gazetted on Tuesday met the demands of the war veterans in terms of empowering the government acquire land.

“Thereafter, one believes, the progress between war veterans and farmers will move faster because the law is in place,” he said. “I believe the war veterans will now restrict the campaign to the 841 farms in question. Then, the government will move forward, to begin to do a proper resettlement.”