Photo: New Zimbabwe Emmerson Mnangagwa
President Emmerson
Mnangagwa's government is reportedly offering incentives to Zimbabwean
white farmers, who shifted their business to Zambia at the height of the
controversial land reform programme, to relocate back to the southern
African country.
Mnangagwa is
breaking away from the seizure of thousands of white-owned farms carried
out by his predecessor and mentor Robert Mugabe, who resigned in
November under military pressure.
Thousands of white
commercial farmers and their employees were displaced and left without
sources of income during the fast-tracked agrarian reforms that were
masterminded by Mugabe's administration in 2000.
According to the
Commercial Farmers Union of Zimbabwe (CFU), more than 4000 white farmers
were affected by the often violent farm invasions.
Some of the white
farmers that were kicked out of their properties during the agrarian
reforms set base in neighbouring countries such as Malawi, Mozambique
and Zambia.
But according to
Zambia Watchdog, the new administration of Mnangagwa was now targeting
these farmers and offering them incentives to return.
"The new government
led by President Emmerson Mnangagwa in Zimbabwe will use the upcoming
Agritech Expo Zambia to meet these farmers and entice them to return to
Zimbabwe," the report said.
The Agri Expo was
expected to run from April 12 to April 14 and was organised by the
African Farmers Union (ZNFU) and a firm called Spintelligent, said the
report.
Other countries that had confirmed participation were the Czech Republic, European Union, Finland, France and Germany.
Source: News24
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