From: matus [matus@snet.net] Sent: Tuesday, July 23, 2002 11:23 PM To: matus@snet.net Subject: MFD List - Zimbabwe President Mugabe chooses starvation for his people (In a prime example of how government policies (ussually corrupt or despotic governments, especially in the chaotic post colonial African states) can lead to food shortages and starvation, Zimbabwe under new leadership of President Robert Mugabe has decided that they would rather have their people starve to death than allow whites to farm on land they have farmed for generations. At the heart of the issue is the Zimbabwe's rulers assertion that the land was stolen from the people of Zimbabwe by the British Colonialists and given to white settlers. Zimbabwe's government gave the white farmers 45 days to leave their farms and towns (many of whom are children or grandchildren of the original colonists) and let their land be reclaimed and farmed by the resident black majority populace. Many farmers have refused, citing the fact that Zimbabwe is a nation of starving people, and abandoning crops to rot because of the ethinicity of the farmers if foolish. - Mike) Zimbabwe brands white farmers 'racists and fascists' ---------- Yahoo News "The white farmers have said they will defy government orders to stop farming. About 3,000 farmers were given until midnight on Monday to stop working their farms and just over a month to leave ... many vowed to stay put rather than watch vital crops rot in a nation short of food." (06/27/02) Zimbabwe Brands White Farmers 'Racists and Fascists' Thu Jun 27, 6:32 AM ET By Cris Chinaka HARARE (Reuters) - The Zimbabwean government on Thursday branded white farmers resisting its controversial land seizure program as "unrepentant racists and fascists." Agriculture Minister Joseph Made told the official Herald newspaper that the farmers were trying to hold onto "stolen land" to maintain their control of the key agriculture sector. The white farmers have said they will defy government orders to stop farming. About 3,000 farmers were given until midnight on Monday to stop working their farms and just over a month to leave, after Zimbabwe amended its land acquisition law in May. A 45-day countdown for the farmers to leave their farms began on Tuesday, but many vowed to stay put rather than watch vital crops rot in a nation short of food. A spokeswoman for the Commercial Farmers Union (CFU) said it was wrong to label white farmers "racists and fascists" working against blacks. But Made accused the CFU of portraying blacks as incompetent farmers in its bid to stop the government's black resettlement program. "The CFU action is a racist and fascist approach of wanting to continue white dominance in this country," he said, charging that there was a conspiracy to wipe out indigenous Zimbabweans. Made said white farmers were "day dreaming" if they believed they could delay the government's program and continue to dominate a sector he said was built largely on land "stolen" from blacks during British colonialism. LAND REFORM CFU spokeswoman Jenni Williams said the CFU and many white farmers have always supported a properly managed land reform program, and knew that long-term stability depended on equal access to land. "There is no racism or fascism involved...just a difference of opinion on how the land reform should be carried out," she told Reuters. The government on Wednesday warned it would act against white farmers who tried to retain their land against a state seizure drive, saying nobody had the power to defy the law. Information Minister Jonathan Moyo told Zimbabwe television that President Robert Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF party had been angered by reports that hundreds of white farmers were ignoring a government order to stop farming operations on Monday, and had vowed to resist a black resettlement program on their land. Moyo said ZANU-PF had discussed the farmers' stance at a meeting of its top body on Wednesday, and had agreed to act against those breaking its laws. On Wednesday Mugabe vowed to press ahead with the seizures of white-owned farms for redistribution to landless blacks, saying there would still be enough land left for whites. Related articles Repression lasts long after Zimbabwe vote ---------- Washington Post Almost four months after Zimbabwe's authoritarian President Robert Mugabe's re-election in a disputed vote, any hope that the 78-year-old former guerrilla leader would relax his crackdown against political opponents has evaporated. (07/03/02) Farmers Challenge Mugabe's Cabinet - Millions in Zimbabwe Face Hunger - The post-colonialist famine - www.matus1976.com - Article archives