Acting President Mnangagwa confirms land policy has not changed

Acting President Emmerson Mnangagwa has just confirmed that the policy on land has not changed and that Zanu PF will continue with the same chaos that has accompanied the land issue since 2000 (see NewsDay report).

Mnangagwa has simply vindicated our position that despite desperate attempts by the newly appointed leaders to brand themselves as reformists, they remained unrepentant hardliners steeped in the same chaotic beliefs and ideology of Zanu PF.

Speaking in Chirumhanzu at the weekend, Mnangagwa sung a different tune from the statement by Lands Minister Douglas Mombeshora, touted as a positive policy U-turn, that government would allow joint ventures even with competent farmers of whatever race.

Mnangagwa poured cold water on any prospect of a policy shift, announcing instead that land grabs would intensify and that the few remaining white farmers would be targeted. Zimbabweans know that the intensification of the land grab policy and even the targeting of multiple farm owners will not benefit the ordinary Zimbabwean but the well-heeled and the politically-connected who have always parceled the land to themselves at the expense of the populace.

Mnangagwa's statement confirms that it is futile to expect Zanu PF to reform. The leopard will certainly remain faithful to its spots and we will continue to see more chaos on the farms as the chefs fight for the spoils while the ordinary Zimbabwean remains desperate for land. We in the MDC believe in a comprehensive agrarian reform that ensures food security and is not targeted at any specific section of the Zimbabwean community.

The Acting President has simply confirmed that he is a Mugabe appointee and it was futile for anyone to have believed that those appointed by Mugabe would chart a new direction for the country.

Mnangagwa has simply proven correct the adage that the more things change; the more they remain the same.

We are stuck with the same old Zanu PF, completely clueless on how to ensure food security in the country and driven with the same policy inconsistency that has always plagued this dying party.

MDC: Equal opportunities for all

Statement issued by Obert Chaurura Gutu, MDC national Spokesperson, January 19 2015

Click here to sign up to receive our free daily headline email newsletter