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Mugabe traded land with votes – War vets

Written by Staff reporter

Wednesday, 11 November 2009 15:59

HARARE - War veterans occupying former-Forester Estates in Mvurwi have lambasted President Robert Mugabe and his Zanu (PF) party for using the controversial land reform programme as a political campaign tool. (Pictured: Disappointed war vets are starting to speak out against the failure of the land reform programmeme)
The war veterans, who spoke to ***The Zimbabwean, said Mugabe had treated the land reform programme as a purely political issue that has destroyed the economy instead of taking the land reform as an economic empowerment and a developmental programmeme.
"I think Mugabe got it all wrong by politicizing this ill-advised land reform programme. When we came on this farm in 2000 I thought that there was a clear land policy in respect of the new farmers, our leaders just spearheaded the invasions without any future plans laid down and that is why this whole process has failed.
"President Mugabe chose to trade this land with votes to the unsuspecting masses under the disguise of empowering them while he knew it was to his personal benefit and a few other party officials.
"Had this land programme been done with a genuine concern, it could have been a real success because it could have attracted support from the international community," said a Mvurwi-based war veteran identified as Kufa Kuda.
Zanu (PF)’s poor planning
Another angry war veteran at the same farm attributed the economic and humanitarian crisis that has characterized Zimbabwe for the past decade to poor planning on the part of the Zanu (PF) government.
"We have had a situation where our government and cabinet were occupied by economic and political criminals. Innocent civilians suffered the most from the effects of a corrupt and unjust system being led by ruthless and selfish leaders.
"Had the government managed to pay us reasonable rates on our produce over the years we have been on this land, most of us could now be self-sustained and producing enough for this nation.
"I have often wondered how this US$300 million that this country is said to be owing China was acquired and how it was used as well, if the state still fails to pay farmers for their maize," said another newly resettled war-veteran.

Other resettled farmers near Mvurwi also castigated Zanu (PF) for the continued victimization of MDC supporters in newly resettled areas where they are being ordered to vacate the farms because of their patronage to MDC.
The former Zanu (PF) government led by Mugabe has been widely criticized for corruption and politicizing developmental programmes alongside human rights abuses and lack of the rule of law.

Comments (1)

|2009-11-12 07:15:09 bobymafi - Welcome development

The words of this forthright war vet are a welcome development.It is encouraging to note that some war vets are beginning to see the light.War vets are suppose to be non-partisan and to respect all citizens because the war was not fought for a selected group of citizens.Its unfortunate that they were bribed by the 50kg and monthly pensions.If war vets fought for freedom why would they kill an innocent unarmed citizen for expressing their freedom of choice and freedom of speech?This is exactly taking away the freedom they fought for making their war effort meaningless to the majority and also making them mercenaries hired by a political party.I do not think most war vets with a limited education understand the full implications of their activities in the last decade.I hope more vets come to see the light and stop being abused by mugabe and his corrupt bunch.

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