Faith Nyasuguta
A group representing hundreds of white former commercial farmers in Zimbabwe has rejected a government compensation plan for land seizures that occurred during the country’s controversial land reform program more than two decades ago. The group, which speaks for nearly half of the roughly 4,000 white farmers who were dispossessed, has called for fresh negotiations, describing the current compensation amounts as “insultingly small” and inadequate.
The Zimbabwean government, however, has dismissed calls to reopen talks, asserting that the compensation package marks a definitive conclusion to the long-standing land dispute.
In the early 2000s, Zimbabwe’s then-president Robert Mugabe oversaw a sweeping land redistribution program that seized white-owned farms and redistributed them to Black Zimbabweans, citing the need to correct historical injustices from colonial rule. Though Mugabe’s government defended the land reform as necessary, critics argue it was chaotic and destructive, triggering economic collapse and international sanctions.
Last week, Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube revealed that the government had begun compensating farmers who lost land and assets. He announced the release of $3.1 million, just 1% of the total $311 million owed in the current deal. The plan entails an immediate small cash payout, with the remainder to be paid through treasury bonds over a 10-year period.
Andrew Pascoe, head of a farmers’ union representing those who accepted the payout, confirmed that 378 farmers had received compensation from the pool of 740 eligible beneficiaries. He described the response as positive, saying the payments had brought “some relief.”
But others strongly disagreed.
Deon Theron, a spokesperson for the dissenting faction, said many former farmers are elderly and in dire need. “Most of those accepting this deal are doing so out of desperation,” he said. “The sums offered are only a tiny fraction of what they are owed. People are in their 70s and 80s, this compensation needs to come while they are still alive.”
Theron criticized the current plan as falling far short of a 2020 agreement between President Emmerson Mnangagwa and white farmers, which promised $3.5 billion in compensation to be paid over five years.
The land compensation issue is central to Zimbabwe’s efforts to reengage with international lenders and lift longstanding Western sanctions. But while some farmers are willing to take the deal offered, others say it is unfair and unsustainable.
Theron said his group has made multiple attempts to meet with government officials but received no response. Despite the frustration, he ruled out legal action for now.
Land ownership remains a deeply emotional issue in Zimbabwe and across southern Africa, tied to colonial-era expropriations. In South Africa, similar debates continue. A land expropriation law has faced backlash, including criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump, who accused Pretoria of targeting white farmers. South African authorities have rejected those accusations.
While Zimbabwe claims it is turning a new page, divisions over the compensation deal suggest that land reform remains a deeply unsettled and painful chapter. Many former landowners say they want justice, not just closure.
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