Land nationalisation could help solve conflict

Nova, Edinburgh • na.
Subject: GIVE THE WHITES THE LAND....
Tue, 19 Aug 2008 14:00:26 • Actually, when the white colonial settlers arrived the original black settlers had all the best fertile land next to the rivers and streams.
they were removed and allowed to settle in barren rocky areas that only an Israeli could make a living out of.
why dont the new black settlers keep the best fertile land next to the rivers and streams where they are settled now and give the barren rocky areas with no obvious water to the white farmers?
Hangwe used to be a barren dry rocky area but look at its grassy savannahs now.
I am sure the white farmers, with their expertise, could easily resurrect the land to fertile fields. Give them a chance and lets see what they can do what the new black settlers cant.
Instead of the land lying barren cos the black farmers cannot cope, give it over to the whites who want to return and farm in Zimbabwe on a 99-year lease.

agnes • na.
Subject: I GOT IT WRONG.
Mon, 18 Aug 2008 13:12:02 • You are so right, Omugabe.
Bring in the Nigerians.
We need them in Zimbabwe.
And the Kenyans and the Somalians.
And, while we are at it, let's eliminate all border posts and just open the gates for everyone.
There is enough land for all of us.
AFRICA FOR THE AFRICANS!

Nova, Edinburgh • na
Subject: OMUGABE, I DISAGREE WITH YOU.....
Fri, 15 Aug 2008 11:29:23 • Omugabe, shamwari, i disagree with you on this negative mantra of yours AFRICA FOR AFRICANS. Britain has to date been one of the strongest nations - simply because it has opened its doors to all and sundry, or else you and i would not be living here together with 3 million other Zimmies.
Sure, its payback time for what they did to us from 1896, but there were only 300,000 whites (max) living in the days of Rhodesia who have all but left now. And Rhodesia was up and going when they left - even though you and I know it was on the back of the blacks who did all the manual labour - but look at the state we are in now? at a bleeding crossroads, penniless, jobless and starving.
The USA too reported this week that it now has a greater black population than white and the USA was to date the greatest of all nations - well, it was until the Chinese took over the niche recently in our global village merely by trade because they work their butts off shoulder-to-shoulder which we dont do in Zimbabwe (only out here in the Diaspora because we hve to if we want to keep up!) so we have no chance of catching the Chinese up at all or even competing..
what i am trying to say is that by absorbing other nationals and colours strengthens a nation - its like giving jabs for smallpox and measles - by absorbing foreign bodies the body is strengthened. by absorbing foreign bodies into Zimbabwe we will thus be strengthened.
but why do i bother to procrastinate with you, good sir?
soon all our extended families will be coming home with their foreign spouses and we will automatically be absorbing foreign bodies- even if by default, eh?

My contention has always been that God created us all differently - and, furthermore, I believe he decreed that only once we have learned to live together, side by side, and love one another and forgive one another our sins, will he give us dominion over the heavens -until then there is no way the Americans will ever meet life on other planets - cos He knows they will only create another war zone out there in space which is not what he has in mind.

Securu Wotamess, Loveness • na.
Subject: KUBATANA MEANS EXACTLY WHAT?
Thu, 14 Aug 2008 08:11:03 • i find this all very confusing, and am losing the will to live. no, actually, I am frustrated and sad.
we are almost 30 years down the line and we are still scratching for solutions on the land issues? land issues that should have been sorted out at lancaster house. this is how the colonials still control us even to this day - by crippling efforts from the start.
the fact that we are still running around like chickens with our heads off makes you wonder if we were ever really ready to take over from the Rhodies? We are not moving forward. we should have been up and running 10 years after the lancaster hse deal.
by now we should be about doing trade and selling food to the north.
give me the strength to breathe, please God.
did you even see the start of the Olympics? thousands and thousands of Chinese working together - this is what makes a great nation - not individuals pulling this way and that. and you want us to host the World Cup in football one day? this is a joke, yes?
we must start working together not going off in different directions and looking back over our shoulders and telling others what to do and what not to do. we now need the Chinese to show us how teamwork will improve our country if they find time to do so in between business deals.
you wonder why the youngsters want to take over?

MrK • bannie2020@hotmail.com
Subject: Land Reform
Mon, 11 Aug 2008 23:49:52 • To the writer:

How about nationalizing land that has already been expropriated?

Why? As you point out, it has already been expropriated and redistributed, so why natioanlize it?

This could allow white farmers to stay on for a while and train new farmers.

But that presumes that they are of good will, that they want to share information, and that they are willing to train their competition.

History says no. In fact, the very presence of the 'go-slow' 'Willing Buyer, Willing Seller' clause in the Lancaster House Agreement points to the fact that they are not willing to share.

If farmers are allowed to stay on nationalized land for a long time they could accept a lower price for their farms.

What land is 'their land'? They don't have land anymore - or at least any more land than anyone else, so if they are of good will, why would they want more? If they were of good will, why would they want to get 'their' farms back?

For some history on nationalized land, consider the following: Conflict in Africa continues, but there is one African country where there was terrible conflict and there is now peace. That country is Mozambique.

In Mozambique, the Portuguese left completely, never to return. They destroyed whatever they could in their wake. I would say that is a very different situation.

Could nationalization of land throughout Africa help end conflicts as people revert to small scale farming which has been successful in Mozambique?

The future is not small scale farming, but having hundreds of thousands of medium scale farms. The average size of a farm in Europe is 90-100 hectares, and that is a good size to aim for. With mechanization, it will provide a middle class income for hundreds of thousands of people, stimulate the national and rural economies, put a sound foundation under the economy which can be expanded into manufacturing. On those farms, small businesses can be spun off by the farmers children, such as livestock rearing, agroforrestry, horticulture, etc.

That is the way forward. And I am very proud that the Zimbabwean government has taken the lead into laying the foundation of doing just that - developing the rural economies to create economic stability and wider incomes, which would have been much farther ahead if it hadn't been for the sanctions levied against the economy.

Omugabe • Dziva@sanandresano.com
Subject: Look Inward & Look East for Self-development, Zim Patriots!
Mon, 11 Aug 2008 18:41:30 • African lands have always been Communal Lands.

So it is just a matter of Africans returning to their indigenous roots, and being Africans in the way they deal with land issue.

There is no legitimate lands in Africa for European criminal invaders.
Africa IS for Africans.
That is how Mother Nature designed things around the planet:
India for Indians?
China for Chinese?
European for Europeans?

Then surely, Africa for Africans.