(Photo: John Wessels/AFP)
Several white commercial farmers who were driven from their land during Zimbabwe’s violent land reform process some 25 years ago find themselves in a race against time. With many of these farmers now in their 70s and 80s, their unions have turned to the US administration of President Donald Trump in a desperate bid to finally unlock the billions of rands in promised compensation.
The situation is dire for many of these farmers. Without a pension or alternative income, many struggle to keep their heads above water.
Harry Orphanides of the Property and Farm Compensation Association, one of the groups that sought American support, paints a dark picture of the current reality.
Robert Mugabe (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)
“This is a serious burden on the farmers, especially those who are elderly and have no other sources of income, as they were completely dependent on farming. Some of them are really desperate,” Orphanides told AFP.
This despair stems from late pres. Robert Mugabe’s failed land reform program of the early 2000s. During this era, around 4,000 farms were confiscated without any compensation. What was intended as a redistribution of land to black subsistence farmers often turned into violent occupations where farmers were killed and land ended up in the hands of government friends or political allies.
The resulting damage to the agricultural sector devastated the economy and led to widespread food shortages.
The broken promise of billions
In 2020, the government of Pres. Emmerson Mnangagwa signs the so-called Global Compensation Deed (GCD). According to this, $3.5 billion would be paid to approximately 3,500 farmers. However, the agreement only covers improvements to the land and infrastructure and not the value of the land itself, as the government argues that the land was occupied by colonial settlers.
Pres. Emmerson Mnangagwa from Zimbabwe. (Photo: Mike Hutchings/AP)
However, Zimbabwe is trapped in a debt burden of $21 billion, which means that the promised money never materialized. In 2023, the government unilaterally amended the offer so that only 1% is paid out in cash, while the rest is paid in US dollar-denominated Zimbabwean treasury bonds at a paltry 2% interest.
Although the finance minister, Mthuli Ncube, claims that almost 1,000 farmers have already signed up for the new deal, critics say the process is opaque and painfully slow. However, Ncube indicated that he is not opposed to the farmers’ decision to seek help in Washington.
“We are committed to payment and if they try to get other people to get us to pay, we have no problem with that. We are paying anyway and we would like to pay faster,” said Ncube.
The role of the US and ‘transactional’ politics
The farmers have hired US advocacy firm Mercury Public Affairs, which has close ties to the Trump administration. According to a public disclosure letter to the US Department of Justice, the goal is to get the administration to exert pressure so that the remaining $3.5 billion is paid – possibly through new financing from international institutions such as the World Bank.
However, experts warn that this help may come with a price.
Pres. Donald Trump (Photo: SAUL LOEB/AFP)
Siphosami Malunga, a human rights lawyer, believes that American intervention will largely depend on self-interest.
“Getting US government intervention may depend on whether there is anything Trump wants from Zimbabwe. The new US foreign policy in Africa is more transactional,” says Malunga.
He says the issue is “morally complex”, as colonial injustices have not yet been resolved, but that the farmers are entitled to fight for the compensation promised to them.
Nicole Beardsworth, an analyst based in South Africa, agrees that it is a gamble. She warns that the US may demand access to Zimbabwe’s rich mineral resources in exchange for political pressure.
“If the Trump administration does take it up, it will likely seek some kind of deal. There could be unintended consequences that far exceed the compensation they’re seeking,” warns Beardsworth.
Are the claims sustainable?
However, not everyone believes that pressure from Washington is the solution.
Trust Chikohora, an opposition politician, believes that the country’s economy is simply not in a position to meet these demands.
“It doesn’t help to put pressure on the government to fulfill things that are impossible to fulfill. Forcing the government to pay quickly is not sustainable,” he said.
For the impoverished farmers, however, these political debates are of little value as they wait for the money that was already promised to them decades ago.