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afrol News, 10 August - The Zimbabwean opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) protests the enhanced re-distribution of land by the government in midst of a famine. These policies were "worsening the hunger and famine that is affecting the people of Zimbabwe," the MDC states. The opposition party in a communiqué said that the "re-distribution of land is essential, but preventing widespread famine is a higher priority." The Zimbabwean government, on the other hand, is now warning "arrogant and racist" white farmers to leave their land, after the deadline for their eviction expired yesterday. The move by the Mugabe regime in June to order nearly 3,000 commercial farmers to stop planting and vacate their farms by 9 August was "a complete abdication of their responsibility to feed the population during an acute food crisis that is rapidly evolving into a famine affecting all parts of the country," the MDC statement says. "The plight of white commercial farmers is only a symptom of a bigger national crisis of governance." The MDC holds that this crisis not only was affecting the farmers, but also directly affected at least 70,000 farm workers and a further 250,000 people who were dependent on them, most of them children. "Agricultural production will decline drastically, and the country's economy, which is highly dependent on this sector, will take the last step towards total collapse, thus worsening the hunger and famine that is affecting the people of Zimbabwe," the opposition says. The UN estimates that up to six million Zimbabweans currently are facing hunger. International donors agree with the MDC that the fall in agricultural production is one of main the reasons behind the food crisis experienced in Zimbabwe right now. Donors further hold that the badly implemented land reform is the main reason for Zimbabwe's dramatically decreased food and non-food production. According to the MDC, the priority now should be "to impose a series of constructive measures aimed at tackling the food crisis. We must take steps to ensure that every possible effort is made to reduce the food deficit and that sufficient crops are planted during October in order to mitigate the effects of food shortages in 2003." The party assured that is was not opposed to land reform in Zimbabwe in general, it was only criticising the decision to evict over two-thirds of white farmers. "Indeed, the party has consistently stated that we fully support Mugabe on the principle of land reform, however, as a party committed to the rule of law we cannot support the illegal and violent tactics used by the Mugabe regime to achieve land reform objectives." - Whilst acknowledging the urgent need to address historical injustices in relation to the disproportionate distribution of farm land in Zimbabwe it is also critical that the implementation of any land policy does not destroy the country's capacity to feed its own people, the MDC statement reads. "Mugabe's desire to pursue an agenda which flagrantly ignores such a constructive approach will condemn thousands to die of starvation." Meanwhile, many of the country's white commercial farmers are sticking to passive protest against their eviction. According to the Farmers' group Justice for Agriculture (JAG), only about 40 percent of the farmers had left their homes as the deadline passed. The farmers remaining are awaiting the outcome of legal appeals against their evictions. Colin Cloete, President of the Commercial Farmers Union (CFU) was however advising members to avoid confrontation in the case of a forceful eviction. The remaining 1,800 commercial farmers are waiting to see if the government will enforce the eviction, although most are prepared for a quick move-out. The Zimbabwean government party ZANU-PF - which has made the land reform into its principal political message - on the other hand is outraged by the white farmers' reluctance to comply with the deadline. Threatening with a fine of US$ 375, two years in jail or both, the government holds it is serious about evictions. - All the excuses by farmers show what an arrogant and racist bunch they are, stated Ignatius Chombo, Zimbabwe's acting Lands Minister. "We've told them in no uncertain terms that we are going to distribute land and that the land reform is irreversible," he said, adding that the farmers would have to comply. The MDC again denounces what the party sees as the weaknesses of ZANU-PF's land reform. President "Mugabe's fast-track land resettlement programme is not only defined by its illegality and its violence but also by its crude short-sightedness and political opportunism." The opposition claims the government's land reform policies are only "designed to entrench [Mugabe's] political power base, hence the increasing number of farms allocated to members of the ruling elite at the expense of the rural poor."
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