In an interview with The Zimbabwean, CFU President, Charles Taffs, said the government should enforce BIPPA agreements on farms as a way of building confidence in Zimbabwe’s agricultural sector.
Taffs comments follow the summoning of white commercial farmer, Pip Mattison, by Mashonaland Central traditional leader, Chief Negomo, on allegations of destroying 70 hectares of a maize crop belonging to 55 A1 farmers in December.
Mattison’s Tavydale farm is covered under the BIPPA’s agreement but was invaded by the A1 farmers last year after which Land Reform and Resettlement Minister, Herbert Murerwa, wrote a letter directing the farmers to vacate.
However, the A1 farmers remained defiant leading to Mattison destroying their maize crop. In his summons, Chief Negomo said the fact that the farm was protected under BIPPA provided no justification for Mattison to destroy the maize crop. Mattison, however, did not attend the traditional court hearing after his lawyer argued that Chief Negomo did not have jurisdiction over the issue. Negomo went on to declare that Mattison should pay $1,1 million by February 23 as compensation to the A1 farmers.
“As long as that continues, no one is going to come and invest in this country because this is really disturbing. How can you have a farm protected under BIPPA being invaded? It scares away potential investors and no one will come to invest here,” said Taffs. The BIPPA agreements are seen as a way of allaying fears among foreign investors over the security of their investments in Zimbabwe.
The BIPPA agreements imply that Zimbabwe and the other signatories recognise the need for international protection of investors and their investments.
In April last year, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Economic Planning and Investment Promotion, Dr. Desire Sibanda, said the government was in the process of assessing the impact of BIPPAs in restoring investor confidence in Zimbabwe.
Taffs said that Chief Negomo, in summoning Mattison, was trying to override government legislation on farms, which he said was dangerous to the growth of the agricultural sector.
“When I last spoke to Mattison, he was in possession of a letter from Minister Murerwa who said that farm should not be touched but when chiefs start overriding government laws that is very disturbing,” said Taffs.
Although Murerwa could not be reached for comment, Mashonaland Central Resident Minister, Martin Dinha, confirmed that the presence of the A1 farmers on Mattison’s farm was in violation of the BIPPA agreements.
“Minister Murerwa took a position on that farm and wrote a letter in June last year saying that farm was protected under BIPPA. His Ministry is the acquiring authority and when they make a decision, we are bound by that decision,” said Dinha.
He said that before Murerwa wrote the letter, there were proposals to allocate land at Tavydale farm to communal farmers but said that the suggestion was abandoned after Murerwa’s letter directing that there should be no interference at the farm. “We had proposed to give the land to farmers in our province but ultimately, the power lies with the Minister,” said Dinha.
Post published in: News