Land Rights Expert Says Zimbabwe's New Farm Titles Have No Value.
A well-known land rights defender says Zimbabwe's new farm title deeds lack real worth. Ben Freeth, who used to farm in Chegutu, claims these papers cannot help owners get bank loans.
President Mnangagwa started giving out new title deeds last year. His plan lets farmers sell their land and use it to borrow money from banks. He got one of these deeds himself.
But Freeth points out that these farms already had legal owners. The first title deeds belong to white farmers, small farm owners, and war veterans. These people never got paid for their land.
The new deeds break international rules, Freeth said. They go against the Southern African Development Community's laws from 1992. A special court case in 2008, called the Campbell case, proved the land takeovers were wrong.
Freeth compared the new deeds to Zimbabwe's failed attempts at making new money. The country tried six times in 15 claims to replace the US dollar. He thinks these farm papers will fail just like those attempts did.
He praised Rwanda for giving real title deeds to its people. But he warned that Zimbabwe's fake papers would hurt farming and the country's growth. The government must follow the law and respect court decisions first, he said.
Speaking in the UK, Freeth said many places in Africa have no title deeds. Zimbabwe made things worse by taking away deeds that already worked. He hopes Zimbabwe can change its ways and give proper deeds to more people.
Freeth wants Zimbabwe to create one million real title deeds, replacing the 10,000 deeds canceled during the land reforms. He believes this change would strengthen Zimbabwe.
A well-known land rights defender says Zimbabwe's new farm title deeds lack real worth. Ben Freeth, who used to farm in Chegutu, claims these papers cannot help owners get bank loans.
President Mnangagwa started giving out new title deeds last year. His plan lets farmers sell their land and use it to borrow money from banks. He got one of these deeds himself.
But Freeth points out that these farms already had legal owners. The first title deeds belong to white farmers, small farm owners, and war veterans. These people never got paid for their land.
The new deeds break international rules, Freeth said. They go against the Southern African Development Community's laws from 1992. A special court case in 2008, called the Campbell case, proved the land takeovers were wrong.
Freeth compared the new deeds to Zimbabwe's failed attempts at making new money. The country tried six times in 15 claims to replace the US dollar. He thinks these farm papers will fail just like those attempts did.
He praised Rwanda for giving real title deeds to its people. But he warned that Zimbabwe's fake papers would hurt farming and the country's growth. The government must follow the law and respect court decisions first, he said.
Speaking in the UK, Freeth said many places in Africa have no title deeds. Zimbabwe made things worse by taking away deeds that already worked. He hopes Zimbabwe can change its ways and give proper deeds to more people.
Freeth wants Zimbabwe to create one million real title deeds, replacing the 10,000 deeds canceled during the land reforms. He believes this change would strengthen Zimbabwe.
