Evicted white farmers doubt govt’s ability to compensate them

ZIMBABWE’S white former commercial farmers, who lost their property under the land reform programme, have welcomed government’s move to compensate them, but said they remained sceptical of the offer given the poor state of the economy coupled with this year’s ravaging drought.

Speaking to NewsDay in separate interviews in Chinhoyi over the weekend, the farmers said they looked forward to direct engagement with Cabinet ministers to finalise the compensation issue.

Commercial Farmers’ Union chief executive officer Hendrik Oliver said most members of his organisation were pessimistic of the offer because government had not shown any commitment to compensate them in the last 16 years.

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