Former vice president Joice Mujuru, who is now the president of Zimbabwe’s opposition Zimbabwe People First party, says she is prepared to compensate a white commercial farmer, Guy Watson Smith, for losing his commercial farm which was seized by her late husband General Solomon Mujuru in 2001.
Mujuru and Smith are currently discussing compensation modalities. The former vice president, who is in London where she is expected to address sizable audiences on the current situation in Zimbabwe, says the land belongs to everyone.
Zimbabwe People First spokesman, Jealous Mawarire, said Mrs. Mujuru’s thrust is to reboot the agriculture sector by monetizing the land.
He said his party is living up to its name “as a government led by Mrs. Mujuru will be able to work with all people in Zimbabwe regardless of their color.”
Mawarire noted that both Smith and Mrs. Mujuru will continue negotiating on the terms of the compensation package through their lawyers to ensure that the whole process was conducted in a fair manner.
Zimbabwe says it won’t compensate for land but property belonging to farmers who lost their land to indigenous people.
Zimbabwe’s ruling party spearheaded a land reform program that resulted in more than 3,000 white commercial farmers losing their prime land to blacks, mostly ruling Zanu PF supporters.