US embassy cable - 03HARARE1615

UNCLAS HARARE 001615 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR AF/S 
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JFRAZER 
 
E. O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAGR, ECON, PGOV, ZI, Land Reform 
SUBJECT: GOZ Targets Additional Commercial Farms and 
Properties in New Land Grab 
 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED.  NOT FOR INTERNET POSTING. 
 
1. (SBU)  Summary. New lists of commercial farms continue to 
appear in the government-sponsored press.  Hundreds of 
mostly white-owned farms have been "gazetted" for 
preliminary acquisition orders this year alone, despite 
public statements that the land acquisition exercise was 
successfully completed. While many listings are re-listings 
of properties which had been successfully challenged on 
technical grounds, the GOZ now appears to be targeting most 
remaining commercial properties.  End summary. 
 
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Nothing Is Sacred 
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2. (SBU)  Despite public claims that the land resettlement 
program has been successfully completed, new listings and 
relistings of commercial farm properties continue unabated. 
On June 20, 2003, fifty-six farms were listed as recipients 
of preliminary (Section 5) notices of acquisition.  On July 
25, 2003, eighty additional farms were listed.  On August 6, 
2003, one hundred and fifty-two properties were listed. 
Most recently, on August 8, 2003, a further eighty-four 
properties were listed for compulsory acquisition.  The 
range of property affected is staggering -- wildlife 
conservancy properties, multinational-owned sugar growing 
estates, privately-owned tea growing estates, commercial 
timber-growing properties, individual dairy farms, and 
extensive holdings (over 45,000 hectares) owned by the South 
African Oppenheimer family are all listed for compulsory 
acquisition. 
 
3. (SBU)  Theories abound as to the motivation behind the 
aggressive new listings.  One local economist believes that 
the GOZ is attempting to assert outright ownership of all 
rural land, in order to craft a new land tenure system of 
long-term leases.  Of course, implicit in such a strategy is 
the necessity for commercial farmers to relinquish title 
deeds and all future claims on their property in order to 
qualify for a lease.  Another contact states that the mere 
act of listing these properties, particularly the massive 
landholdings of the sugar, tea, and conservancy estates, is 
merely a pretext for forcing the owners into a negotiating 
stance. 
 
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"It's Our Turn Now..." 
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4. (SBU)  This second contact cites the example of Masvingo 
governor Josiah Hungwe, in whose district much of the 
conservancy property and all of the sugar estate property 
lies.  Hungwe allegedly told the board of Triangle Estates, 
the largest cultivator of irrigated sugar in Zimbabwe, that 
if Hungwe were made a Board member, Triangle would have "no 
more problems" with relation to the land resettlement 
program.  Triangle demurred; its lands are now listed. 
Another contact in Save Conservancy reported last week that 
local Masvingo political heavyweights recently made renewed 
demands for outright grants of ownership and financial 
concessions from conservancy owners.  He stated, "We feel 
like their attitude is that the Harare Chefs have gotten 
their share of the spoils, it's our turn now.  We also 
detect a sense of urgency, as if they are coming to the end 
of the road and need action now."  He now believes that the 
new listings explain the urgency. 
 
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Comment 
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5. (SBU)  Many of the properties have been listed before, 
and the new listings follow court decisions invalidating the 
previous acquisitions on technical grounds.  However, the 
new wave of listings includes properties which have so far 
escaped widespread predation -- dairy farms, large-scale 
sugar estates, timber lands.  Rather than trying to seek a 
way out of the economic morass resulting from the 
displacement of productive agro-industries, the GOZ seems 
determined to pursue a Pyrrhic victory in which possession 
alone is the only measure of success.  These new 
acquisitions can only do further, long-term damage to the 
already reeling economy. 
 
Whitehead