Mugabe threatens to seize food company over national salt shortage

President Robert Mugabe gave warning yesterday that he was prepared to seize the assets of businesses, as well as farmers.

He told Zimbabwe's largest food company that he would "take over their enterprises" if it did not sell its products at a price set by his government.

Mr Mugabe, who is facing increasing discontent over severe food shortages and a real threat of famine, is threatening to take over the company, partly owned by London-based Anglo American plc, which he blames for the country's shortage of salt.

Zimbabwe, in the midst of its worst economic crisis since independence from Britain in 1980, has seen supplies of salt for domestic and industrial use dry up in recent weeks, along with staple foods such as maize meal, cooking oil and sugar, a direct result of Mr Mugabe's seizure of white-owned farms.

Speaking to party workers in Harare at the weekend, Mr Mugabe said: "I want to say this to National Foods. We want them to come out in the open and tell this nation why they have been hoarding salt.

"Do they still want to work in partnership? If not we will take over their enterprises."

A National Foods spokesman, who asked not to be named, said: "We have 2,000 tons of salt in storage, which would last two weeks. We cannot afford to sell salt, which is imported, at the controlled price, which is less than half what we paid for it.

"We have been in discussion with the government over the price of salt, and were surprised to hear the president accusing us of hoarding."

Mr Mugabe introduced price controls ahead of presidential elections in March but lifted most of them last month, except on salt.

National Foods, a publicly listed company, employs about 4,000 people and is the largest food production company in Zimbabwe. It is now financially threatened by its inability to supply supermarkets.

Mr Mugabe and his cabinet routinely accuse the British government, white farmers and multi-national companies of a conspiracy to deprive Zimbabweans of food.

More than 60 per cent of white farmers were legally obliged to stop farming last week, and have to abandon their homesteads by Aug 8.

Mr Mugabe accused white farmers of "disrupting land reforms." He added: "Confrontation with the Government will not work. If anything it will make us angrier than we already are. Collaborating with former oppressors such as the G8 will not save them because the land is ours."

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation says six million people, or nearly half Zimbabwe's population is in need of food aid, and identified Mr Mugabe's disruption of commercial agriculture as a main cause.

Recent statistics from the Food Early Warning System in Harare show even poor countries such as Zambia and Mozambique produced more maize than Zimbabwe, which used to grow a surplus until Mr Mugabe ordered supporters to invade white-owned farms 28 months ago.

Daily Telegraph Farmers fight for right to grow food as people starve- By Peta Thornycroft in Harare - (Filed: 25/06/2002)

[Full Text] White farmers made a last-ditch appeal to Zimbabwe's High Court yesterday to overturn a law which criminalises food farming in a country on the brink of famine.

Dave Connolly, a dairy farmer representing a new group called Farmers for Justice, said papers had been lodged in Harare asking for an urgent hearing to change a law signed by President Robert Mugabe which is hitting food production.

Thousands of farmers face up to two years in prison or heavy fines if they continue to work land designated for redistribution to blacks.

"We have used the case of one farmer who can now be sent to jail if he irrigates his wheat crop this week," said Mr Connolly, who farms in the southern province of Matabeleland. He said the name of the man involved was being kept secret.

Mr Connolly added: "We are challenging the constitutionality of being prevented from growing food and hope the case will be heard on Thursday, otherwise his wheat will die."

According to the World Food Programme nearly half the 11 million population requires food aid from foreign donors, most of whom blame the government for the worsening crisis brought on by drought.

Farmers for Justice represents a split from the once powerful Commercial Farmers' Union, which is accused by many of its members of failing to challenge Mr Mugabe's actions and of providing weak leadership in the face of the collapse of large-scale agriculture.

Even though Mr Connolly is one of a few farmers who has been left untouched since Mr Mugabe launched his violent invasions of white-owned land 28 months ago, he too faces problems.

He said: "My farm is not listed for acquisition. I have no 'war veterans' on the farm. But I cannot continue in isolation because I have no food for my dairy cows, so I too will be forced out of operation."

Mr Mugabe's government has singled out more than 28 million acres, or 94 per cent of white land, for resettlement.

White farmers have a reputation for agricultural production unparallelled in Africa and provide more than 40 per cent of Zimbabwe's annual foreign currency.

Many of the leading farms, especially those with large houses on them, have recently been awarded to cabinet ministers, Mr Mugabe's cronies, members of the security forces and senior civil servants.

Jenni Williams, the CFU spokesman, said farmers across the country were packing up to leave the country.

She added: "They have had enough. They are going to go with nothing but they have been tormented for more than two years. It has been all so cruel."

She said the present laws forbidding farmers to work their land were the end for white farming in Zimbabwe.

Some farmers are ready to defy the new law. Chris Shepherd, who openly supports the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, MDC, said: "I have to ignore the law and carry on farming. I haven't got a choice because I owe the banks so much money and I have nowhere else to go. We cannot allow our people to die because there is no food. It's shameful."

He said he was warned by a government official in Karoi, 100 miles north of Harare, yesterday that the law would be strictly applied to evict him from his farm. Mr Shepherd said more than 20 vehicles, mostly driven by whites, were stoned in Karoi yesterday.

The security fence around the home of Arthur Harley, who farms at Ruwa, 15 miles south-east of Harare, has been surrounded since Sunday. He said: "We are barricaded in. There is a crowd of about 40 around the place.

"My information is that three of them have guns. The police have not responded to our calls. As soon as I get out of the place I will have to carry on farming, whether it is legal or not."

Victor Angelo, the United Nations coordinator in Zimbabwe, said yesterday he had advised farmers not to break the law.

"The consequences could be very bad for them," he said. "They must look after their animals or they will die, but nothing more."

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