Many ruling party politicians have received prime farms under the land reform programme and in some cases have masterminded the removal of owners from properties they want to take over.
Three Mashonaland Central farmers, Warwick, Duncan and Simon Hale, who have a farm in the province’s Nyabira area, were at the end of April forced to pay $6 million to Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association leader Patrick Nyaruwata and his secretary-general Andy Mhlanga.
The payment was supposed to ensure that one of their properties, St Marnock’s farm, was cleared of war veterans occupying it and was spared further invasions because it was not listed for acquisition.
The money was supposed to be a "protection" payment that would result in war veterans being removed from St Marnock’s and in the Hales being allowed to harvest soyabeans at another of their properties, Bradfields farm.
The farmers would then have shared the proceeds from the sale of the 500-hectare soyabean crop with the war veterans, as long as work on the farm was not disrupted.
Three Mashonaland Central farmers, Warwick, Duncan and Simon Hale, who have a farm in the province’s Nyabira area, were at the end of April forced to pay $6 million to Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association leader Patrick Nyaruwata and his secretary-general Andy Mhlanga.
The payment was supposed to ensure that one of their properties, St Marnock’s farm, was cleared of war veterans occupying it and was spared further invasions because it was not listed for acquisition.
The money was supposed to be a "protection" payment that would result in war veterans being removed from St Marnock’s and in the Hales being allowed to harvest soyabeans at another of their properties, Bradfields farm.
The farmers would then have shared the proceeds from the sale of the 500-hectare soyabean crop with the war veterans, as long as work on the farm was not disrupted.