The government’s compensation scheme for being driven off their land and farms two decades ago falls short for Ben Gilpin and hundreds of other commercial farmers.
Harare resident Gilpin has pushed off his 1,000-hectare property during a land reform effort led by former President Robert Mugabe, and he is one of many primarily white farmers seeking recompense from the government after years of legal action and delays.
However, some farmers have said that they would not accept the government’s $3.5 billion compensation package because they feel it is inadequate and does not adequately address concerns of land restitution or property rights restoration.
The government is currently in discussions with a key creditor, the African Development Bank (AfDB), to settle about $17 billion in previous obligations.
Farmers argue that the idea was agreed upon by the Commercial Farmers Union in July 2020 but then amended without their involvement.
Treasury bills would be used to support Zimbabwe’s proposal to pay farmers over ten years, rather than the twenty years originally suggested three years ago, according to Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube in February.
Harare failed to make two payments in June 2021 and June 2022.
“The offer of bonds represents a very significant reduction in value with a prolonged redemption period,” Gilpin, 67, told Reuters. This is unrelated to the original idea and is consequently rejected.
According to the original agreement, half of the $3.5 billion was to be paid within 12 months of signing, and the remaining $2.0 billion was to be paid within five years.
“We want to reject this government compensation deed because it is not a proper compensation deal,” Ben Freeth said in 2008 after his father-in-law successfully challenged Mugabe’s eviction policy before the now-defunct SADC Tribunal and won.
Ncube said that the government was still negotiating with farmers on how and when they should be paid.
He told reporters on Friday, “I am certain that we will converge pretty soon in terms of the appropriate instruments.”
Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), is driving the effort to get Zimbabwe out of debt, and he recently said that repaying the elderly farmers over 10 years would be unjust to them.
“I think a front-loading approach to farmer compensation is worth considering,” he told Reuters. To finish the process, negotiations and strategic modifications will be required.
