Opposition says seizures threaten property rights

Reacting to the announcement, Eddie Cross, secretary for economic affairs of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) described the latest move to seize more farm land as “morally indefensible” and a violation of constitutional property rights.

In a statement he said the seizure of more than 3,000 farms - representing two thirds of Zimbabwe’s remaining commercial farmland - would mean “the total destruction of the commercial farming industry”. He said large scale commercial farmers were responsible for 50 percent of the country’s exports, 65 percent of raw materials for industry, and the direct employment of 350,000 people. They were also responsible for indirectly supporting 300,000 jobs in the industrial, service and distribution industries.

“Then there is the legal aspect,” he said. “Land rights are enshrined in the constitution and what the government is trying to do is not only morally indefensible but is also a violation of these land owners’ constitutional rights. They might be the first, but every businessperson must know that this now represents a threat against all property rights.”