Farmers urged not return

Early last week I reported that the Zim government is clandestinely inviting white commercial farmers back to their land;

"It's true. Zimbabwe's government, which violently seized land from its commercial farmers in a frenzied desperation for platform, has been quietly making concessions with its former commercial farmers asking them to return to their old properties.

Reid Estate about 15 kilometres north of Bindura (the provincial capital of Mashonaland Central Province) is being returned to it's white owner. The estate, which at it's peak in the 90's exported it's produce to Europe, was recently offered back to the Reid family who are well liked in the Bindura community. Before they returned, the Reids however demanded that their farm be cleaned up and asked for restitution for their developments which had been destroyed by the "vets."

This despite persitent external showings by Mugabe & Co. to the contrary.

Now Justice for Agriculture (JAG) a farmer's rights group that grew out of the Commercial Farmers Union of Zimbabwe has come out swinging urging its members not return to their farms. This from Zimonline;

"A lobby group for Zimbabwe’s evicted white farmers has called on the farmers to ignore government calls to return to the land until there is rule of law, an independent judiciary and firm guarantees property rights will be respected.

In a warning to farmers at the weekend, the Justice for Agriculture Trust (JAG) said the 99-year leases that the government is promising as a guarantee of tenure to white farmers who agree to resume farming was not enough security against future eviction."

What I'm wondering about is why group has waited to be reactive instead being proactive. We all saw this coming.

Zimbabwe, Farm Invastions, Human Rights,