ZAPU, which has forged an election pact with MDC, says no foreigners and foreign companies should permanently own land in Zimbabwe, but they could lease for a certain period.
Nqobile Bhebhe
According to Zapu’s election manifesto launched on Saturday, the party said although the land reform was irreversible, land should be fully utilised to ensure food security.
“The chaotic acquisition and allocation of land in Zimbabwe over the last 10 years has shaken the settler-dominated farming system, but failed to provide an alternative that guarantees food security and self-sufficiency,” part of the manifesto reads.
“However, the party also believes that land should serve its prime function of food production and source of non-agricultural products rather than be hoarded by elite unproductive, indigenous ‘farmers’ who have benefited from land grabs.”
Under its main components of the land policy, Zapu said there should be limits on the amount of land owned by individuals.
“Putting a limit to an amount of land owned by private individuals or companies and monitoring utilisation and hoarding and making sure no foreigners and foreign companies will permanently own land in Zimbabwe, but be permitted to lease land for a given period (is the right policy),” the party says.
Zapu said it supported compensation for farmers for improvements to land and for movable property that was forcibly taken during the chaotic land reform process and called for setting up of an independent land commission, whose functions would include land audits. Official figures show that the country has so far imported 432 400 tonnes of maize to meet the cereal gap of 436 211 tonnes.
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A total of 1,4 million people are said to be receiving assistance through the government and humanitarian agencies.
Critics say the country, once regarded as the breadbasket of the region, was relegated to a basket case after the government embarked on a chaotic land reform programme which resulted in the acquisition of arable land from white commercial farmers.
Statistics also show that traditional grain growing farmers have in recent years switched to the more lucrative tobacco farming. Zanu PF, which spearheaded the exercise, has attributed the declining output to underfunding of the agriculture sector.
