Saturday, February 11, 2006

Zim continues with land grab

Harare - Zimbabwean authorities have vowed to forge ahead with land seizures from white farmers who have remained on their properties after the country's controversial land reforms.

"We are still hungry and we want all our land back and all our land to be used by our own people," land minister Didymus Mutasa said, dismissing speculation that President Robert Mugabe's government could give in to widespread criticism and stop farm invasions which started six years ago.

"We are not going to change our land policy and we are not going to surrender any land that has been given to our people," Mutasa said in an interview aired on state television on Thursday night.

Mutasa said following constitutional reforms passed by parliament last year "there is not any white farmer now who is farming legally" and urged white farmers to seek permission from government to continue operating.

"(Constitutional) Amendment number 17 gave all land, all agricultural land to the state and by that stroke or event nobody is allowed to farm unless he has permission from the minister of lands," Mutasa said.

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