Zimbabwe to abolish private land ownership

I love the framing of the first sentence before you even get a period=
 or a=20
comma...
Macdonald

Zimbabwe to abolish private land ownership
Title deeds to be scrapped, replaced by 99-year leases

The Associated Press
Updated: 12:50 p.m. ET June 08, 2004

HARARE, Zimbabwe - In its latest crackdown on democratic freedoms, th=
e=20
government announced Tuesday that all farmland will be nationalized a=
nd=20
private land ownership abolished.

All land, including more than 5,000 former white-owned farms handed o=
ver to=20
blacks, will become state-owned and subject to state-issued leases, L=
and=20
Reform Minister John Nkomo said.

Title deeds of farm properties will be scrapped and replaced by 99-ye=
ar=20
leases with rent payable to government, the state Herald newspaper re=
ported.

=E2=80=9CThere shall be no such thing as private land,=E2=80=9D Nkomo=
 said.

Since the farm seizures began in 2000, about 200,000 black families h=
ave=20
been allocated former white-owned land. About a quarter were given la=
rger=20
properties for commercial rather than small scale farming.

Hundreds of black farmers also bought commercial farms on the propert=
y=20
market which will now be nationalized.

Nkomo asked land owners or occupiers to come forward for vetting to q=
ualify=20
for state leases.

He did not indicate when the nationalization program would be complet=
ed.

The government does not intend to =E2=80=9Cwaste time and money=E2=
=80=9D in disputes on=20
seizures of individual farms whose owners held title deeds and other =
legal=20
documents, he said.

Nkomo said a National Land Board was to be set up to supervise=20
nationalization of all productive farmland and its effective use.

Food production disrupted
Since 2000, the often-violent seizures of white-owned commercial farm=
s,=20
along with erratic rains, have been blamed for disrupting production =
in the=20
agriculture-based economy, leading to acute shortages of food, hard=
=20
currency, gasoline and other imports.

Critics say much of the best farmland was given to supporters of Pres=
ident=20
Robert Mugabe and is underutilized or is lying fallow.

Production on many resettled farms has dropped sharply as new farmers=
=20
lacked money and loans and also reported shortages of seed, fertilize=
r,=20
fuel and farm machinery such as tractors and plows.

Nkomo said the state-issued leases would be sufficient collateral for=
=20
farmers to secure loans for materials and equipment.

But that, said independent Harare economist John Robertson, was =E2=
=80=9Ca=20
miscomprehension.=E2=80=9D

Move seen as frightening away investors
=E2=80=9CThe banks aren=E2=80=99t going to lend to an individual agai=
nst a lease that=20
belongs to the state. It doesn=E2=80=99t work that way. You can=E2=
=80=99t borrow on the=20
strength of something you don=E2=80=99t own,=E2=80=9D he said.

The nationalization program is likely to further hurt the ailing econ=
omy by=20
frightening away what little investment Zimbabwe still receives, Robe=
rtson=20
said. It also would also cast new uncertainty over general property r=
ights=20
including home ownership rights, that likely would undermine already=
=20
struggling businesses and commercial activity, he said.

=E2=80=9CIt is a very big step away from a market economy to the comm=
unist-style=20
command economy of state control of the factors of production,=E2=
=80=9D he said.

Land seizures have slashed production of food and tobacco =E2=80=94 o=
nce the=20
nation=E2=80=99s biggest hard currency earner.

United Nations crop forecasts predict Zimbabwe, once a regional=20
breadbasket, will produce only half its food needs this year.
=C2=A9 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material =
may not be=20
published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
--=20
Macdonald Stainsby
http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/rad-green
In the contradiction lies the hope
=09=09--Brecht.


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