Why Zimbabwe Seized Land From Black Farmers During Land Reform Program Under Mugabe: Presidential Spokesperson Explains

Why Black Farmers Lost Land During Mugabe’s Land Reform: Presidential Spokesperson Speaks

Zimbabwe’s presidential spokesperson George Charamba has revealed why some Black farmers lost land during the country’s controversial Fast Track Land Reform Programme under former President Robert Mugabe in the early 2000s.

Writing on the social media platform X, Charamba explained that some Black farmers were used by white farmers to try and protect their land from government takeover.

“At the height of Fast Track Land Reforms, a number of black Zimbabweans became parapets behind whom hid several white farmers who sought to deflect and defeat the programme,” wrote Charamba under his X handle @Jamwanda2.

“In short, white farmers would ‘transfer’ their farms to those blacks in the hope of saving the farms from acquisition.”

Charamba’s post came in response to prominent lawyer and businessman Tawanda Nyambirai’s claim that President Emmerson Mnangagwa had personally intervened to restore land to him and other Black Zimbabweans who lost their farms under the first republic.

Farms lost due to abuse of the system

Tawanda Nyambirai revealed that he lost his land because of political abuse of the system by powerful figures.

“In my case, it was the late General Mujuru who abused the system and targeted me,” Nyambirai wrote.

“His main target was Mr Strive Masiyiwa as was later explained to me by the former First Family… When HE discovered that the situation was too dangerous for me after my brothers were kidnapped, he advised me to vacate the farms and wait for sanity to prevail before vindicating my rights.”

Nyambirai said he was eventually helped by the late Vice President Msika and Chester Mhende.

He added that President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who was the speaker of Parliament then, was supportive and had even advised him to step aside temporarily to avoid violence.

“We must give credit where it is due”

Nyambirai confirmed that he followed all the legal steps to reclaim his farms. He said the land was restored after 20 years, thanks to direct intervention from President Mnangagwa.

“Upon being reminded that I lost my farms under the First Republic, the President directed that my farms be restored,” he said.

“I followed the prescribed legal process and indeed the title to my farms was restored after 20 years. We are now in the final stages of taking back possession.”

Nyambirai also mentioned that the group he belongs to includes other Black farmers who held land through companies.

Charamba responded by thanking Nyambirai for clarifying the history.

“Thank you for clarifying matters for the sake of truth and history. Kune vanga voshandisa your case to badmouth Land Reforms. Anyway, justice was restored and we are happy for you and your family,” Charamba posted.

He added that not all land losses were the same.

“I would never put landless blacks as a population in the same group with Rhodesian landed gentry, thereby creating a false impression their SCARS were comparable,” Charamba said.

He concluded by noting that Zimbabwe’s land issue continues to draw global interest.