In 1980, Zimbabwe gained independence from The British South Africa Company. At that time, most of the country's most fertile land was owned by roughly 4,000 white farmers. Between 2000 and 2001, thousands of white farmers were forced from land they owned (often violently) under a government land reform programme launched by then-President Robert Mgabe. 

The programme was intended to return fertile land that was stolen from black farmers and kept from them by colonial era policies. The programme was justified by Mgabe, due to the need to redress land ownership inequalities that damaged the black majority country whilst it was under white minority rule. Following this land redistribution, the lands that were owned by the relatively small number of white land oligarchs, saw 300,000 black families resettled there. 

According to Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube, Zimbabwe's government has now begun an initial pay-out of £2.3 million to the white farmers as part of the fulfilment of a 2020 deal signed between President Emmerson Mnangagwa and the dispossessed white farmers. Ncube added that this initial pay out is equivalent to 1% of the total compensation claim of $311 million. Ncube stated that 378 of the total 740 farms that have been approved for compensation, benefitted from the first batch of payments.

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However, the compensation granted is not for the repossessed land itself. In continued recognition of the farmland being originally usurped by white settlers, the payout is defined as being for improvements made on the land and developments on the land, such as wells and buildings. 

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According to the deal, the farmers would receive 1% of their claim in cash, with the balance being settled through the issuance of treasury bonds. The first batch of bonds were also issued to the farmers last week, according to Ncube.

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Following the land seizures, the U.S. and the European Union imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe and dozens of its officials, citing human rights abuses that included violent attacks on white farmers and seizures of their land. The recent compensatory payout comes as part of a strategic attempt to help alleviate some of those sanctions, which despite easing over the years, remain imposed on Zimbabwean officials including Mnangawa.

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Whilst many foreign commentators were quick to acknowledge the lack of reparations paid by white colonizers to their black victims, Ncube stated:

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“This is a very important issue for our arrears clearance and debt resolution process for Zimbabwe, because some of the countries for which we want support, their farmers, their investors, into Zimbabwe were affected by the land reform program in the early 2000s,” 

Ncube added:

“We believe that this is very important for building trust, for honoring our commitments”.

Zimbabwe’s government aims to have paid the entire £111.6 million liability for the farmers by the end of 2028.

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