Land compensation deal slammed

A local organisation advocating the rights of farmers disposed of their land during government's land reform process has dismissed the recent $3.5bn compensation fund offered to former landowners. As previously reported in Legalbrief Today, Harare last monthg agreed to compensate the farmers whose land was expropriated by the government to resettle black families, moving a step closer to resolving one the most divisive policies of the Robert Mugabe era. However, it does not have the money and will issue long-term bonds and jointly approach international donors with the farmers to raise funding, according to the compensation agreement. New Zimbabwe reports that SADC Tribunal Rights Watch said the Global Compensation Agreement signed by government with two farming organisations ‘raises serious concerns’. The organisation's spokesperson, Ben Freeth said it was also concerned by government spokesperson Patrick Chinamasa's active involvement in the agreement because he initiated a 2012 challenge for the disbandment of the SADC Tribunal when he was Justice Minister. ‘In the government's apparent haste to have the agreement signed, even Zimbabwe's own constitution has been violated in the laid down procedure for the compensation process,’ Freeth said.