The low rainfall cannot be given as an excuse. The country lacks grain reserves because the GMB is broke and in fact owes money to farmers. What makes Mugabe’s food scrounging all the more embarrassing is that the producers of maize in Zambia are the same white farmers whose land he stole in Zimbabwe.
Fully cognisant of the fact that his ruse has been exposed at home, Mugabe admits that agricultural land, which he parcelled out to his cronies, is grossly underutilised. Externally, however, the show of smoke and mirrors continues. In his AU Chairmanship acceptance speech in Addis Ababa, he told an unknowing audience that tobacco production by the new farmers now exceeds that managed by white commercial farmers.
He conveniently neglected to mention the environmental degradation caused by the “new” farmers who opt to chop down acres of virgin woodland, in lieu of coal (which can no longer be transported as the NRZ has been run down and essential power lines have been decimated by vandals) – because it makes perfect sense to use Zesa electric cables for snares to catch kudu.
Post published in: Analysis