(NEWZIMBABWE) Governor evicts dairy farm invaders

COMMENT - Before land reform, the average commercial farm was 2500 hectares in size. The Fast Track land reform program changed this, by assigning land in 50 hectare (A1) and 250 hectare (A2) plots, more in low rainfall areas. The farms in this article are that size. More confirmation that Fast Track land reform wasn't simply a substitution of 6000 landowners with 5000 'friends and cronies of Mugabe'.

Governor evicts dairy farm invaders
11/10/2011 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter

MIDLANDS governor Jason Machaya has made a stirring speech at a dairy farm overrun by illegal settlers, giving the invaders a 10-day ultimatum to evacuate or “face the full wrath of the law”.

Machaya, also Zanu PF’s provincial chairman, told the 250 farm invaders who stormed 250-hactare Plot 48 of the Wildebeest Laagte farm near Chivhu that they were breaking the law.

“The era of making heroes out of people who invade farms is over, let’s follow rules and everyone will get land eventually,” Machaya told the invaders after responding to an SOS by farmer, Derrick Shaw.

The fired-up governor added: “When we started the land reform programme in 2000, maybe up to 2002, it was jambanja [uncoordinated mayhem]. The government then said the programme should be done in an orderly manner. Some statutes were crafted with a view of ensuring that all those in need of land were allocated plots.”

Machaya said any farm invasions post-2002 were against government policy, which dictates that individuals seeking land must approach district land committees.

“If we run out of land, we can always revisit the bigger farms and downsize them but for now, if you are not legally settled here, you need to move out. Dairy farmers like Mr Derrick Shaw are not to be disturbed. It is the government’s position that these white commercial farmers should not be touched and we expect everyone to respect this position.”

Wildebeest Laagte was compulsorily acquired by the government for resettlement, but Shaw was allowed to retain 200 hectares. Machaya told the invaders that the farmer was a law abiding citizen who should be "left alone".

“I’m here because there are some people who invading farms, and we are in 2011. The occupation of any piece of land in Zimbabwe is an exercise done through the law. Invasions are over. We can’t have people doing as they please. People should follow the law.”

Machaya’s ultimatum to the ivaders expires next Thursday.