Global Pulse Blog

The new Prime Minister of Zimbabwe, Morgan Tsvangirai, has announced that the practice of invading white owned farms is, ‘actually illegal.’  He went on to comment that those attempting to occupy farms illegally would be “arrested and face justice in the courts.”  This is a reversal of the policy under President Mugabe who encouraged Zimbabwean war veterans to occupy White owned farms, a policy which has led to the closure of hundreds of farms and the exodus of many White Zimbabwean farmers from the country.  Many cite this policy and the end of commercial agriculture that it brought about as the cause for the collapse in Zimbabweans economy and the hypyer inflation which the country is experiencing.  Zimbabwe was once known as the breadbasket of Africa.  Now, thousands are starving.  Hopefully Prime Minister Tsvangarai’s policy will encourage the reemergence of commerical farms in Zimbabwe, but only time will tell.