Zimbabwe’s land reform enters a new chapter

Harare, Zimbabwe – More than two decades after Zimbabwe seized thousands of mainly white-owned commercial farms, some of those properties are set to change hands again.But President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government insisted the move is not a reversal of the land redistribution programme that reshaped Zimbabwe’s countryside after 2000.Instead, officials said they are resolving three separate categories of land claims involving foreign investors, Black Zimbabwean owners and white farmers who remained on acquired land.Sixty-seven farms protected by bilateral investment promotion and protection agreements (BIPPAs) are being returned to investors from Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland. Another 840 farms that officials said were included in the acquisition process in error during land reform are to be restored to their Black Zimbabwean owners.And 409 white farmers who have remained on farms alongside land reform beneficiaries will be allowed to buy the farms or portions they occupy through a set-off mechanism linked to compensation for eligible improvements.“The BIPPA process is about resolving outstanding legal obligations relating to investments protected under bilateral agreements. It should not be mistaken for a return to the pre-land reform era,” Agriculture Minister Anxious Masuka told Parliament.The distinction matters because land remains one of Zimbabwe’s most politically charged issues, closely tied to the colonial era and the liberation struggle.A colonial legacyAt independence in 1980, white commercial farmers controlled a disproportionate share of Zimbabwe’s most productive farmland, reflecting colonial policies that restricted Black Zimbabweans’ access to prime agricultural land.Under the Lancaster House settlement, redistribution initially operated largely on a “willing buyer, willing seller” basis with Britain helping finance parts of the early programme.Winter crops grow at a farm in Bhora, Mashonaland East, that was acquired under Zimbabwe’s land reform programme [Calvin Manika/Al Jazeera]But redistribution was slower than many Black Zimbabweans expected.In February 2000, voters rejected a government-backed constitutional referendum that would have expanded the state’s powers to acquire land. Soon afterwards, war veterans and supporters of the ZANU-PF party, which has governed Zimbabwe since independence, began occupying white-owned farms.The government formalised the occupations through the Fast-Track Land Reform Programme (FTLRP).Supporters saw the seizures as the unfinished business of independence. Human Rights Watch documented violence, intimidation and political discrimination during the process while disputes over ownership and allocation continued for years.The upheaval severely disrupted commercial agriculture and contributed to Zimbabwe’s wider economic crisis, which had multiple causes, including monetary and fiscal problems, drought and other policy failures.More than two decades later, Zimbabwe is still grappling with the competing claims that upheaval created.Three categoriesThe policy distinguishes between three categories of claimants, each with a different legal and political basis.The 67 BIPPA-protected farms involve foreign investors whose investments were covered by bilateral agreements. Officials said the properties were designated for compulsory acquisition during land reform but remained unoccupied and are being returned to investors as Zimbabwe addresses its obligations under those agreements.The second group is 840 farms that officials said were included in the acquisition process in error during land reform. They are to be restored to their Black Zimbabwean owners.The third comprises 409 white farmers who have remained on farms alongside land reform beneficiaries. They will be allowed to buy the farms or portions they currently occupy rather than simply receiving them back.Taken together, the three categories illustrate how Zimbabwe’s land question has become increasingly co