Who'd A Thunk It? - Zimbabwe Economic Crisis Hits Mugabe's Land Reforms *** Zimbabwean commercial banks, left with millions of dollars in unpaid debts from dispossessed white farmers, say it will be difficult to fund new farmers in an environment in which property rights are not guaranteed. The government says it is still looking at the issue of title deeds, but its critics say without settling the subject of ownership, commercial agriculture is doomed in Zimbabwe. "This is a critical point, because without title, there is no legal basis for anyone's claim to own land," said Justice for Agriculture (JAG), a pressure group fighting for white farmers to retain their land.
One of Zimbabwe's largest fertilizer manufacturers, Zimbabwe Phosphates Industries (Zimphos), said last month that the fertilizer shortage in the country was likely to get worse because of increased foreign exchange problems, rising production costs and unrealistic retail prices imposed by the government. Companies had been forced to cut production by as much as 50 percent in the past year to stay in business.
"We said this program is going to be a disaster, and everybody can now see it's a disaster," said Renson Gasela, secretary for agriculture for the main opposition MDC. "What we are seeing is a confirmation that we really need a land reform program that can attract international support to see success," he told Reuters.***
Mugabe's men drown cattle as thousands go hungry*** Zimbabwe's commercial farmers have fallen victim to a renewed campaign of mindless violence with the killing of hundreds of cattle by workers egged on by supporters of President Robert Mugabe. On one farm several hundred head of cattle were recently driven into a dam to drown while others were penned into paddocks, in searing heat, to starve to death. Cattle were sent to their excruciating end by a group of about hysterical 20 farm workers, encouraged by government supporters, at Forrester Estates, in the Mvurwi district about 60 miles north-east of Harare. "It was terrible," said Fanie Ferreira, 43, who recently quit as a sub-manager on the estate. "The noise they made was . . . you can't describe it. It was frightening.***