Zimbabwe: Robert and Grace Mugabe own 12 farms between them

29 September, 2009 in Zimbabwe

source: SW Radio Africa
By Violet Gonda
28 September 2009

Robert Mugabe and his ZANU PF party have always insisted that the government’s land reform programme is meant to correct ‘historical imbalances’ and give land to landless black Zimbabweans, through a one man one farm policy. But over the last decade productive farms have been taken from white commercial farmers and given to a new black elite. This weekend journalist Peta Thornycroft also revealed that Robert and Grace Mugabe ‘own’ 12 farms between them.

The President is said to have bought one farm near his rural home in Zvimba, Mashonaland West but then he went on to grab five other neighbouring farms.

Grace is said to have taken over six commercial farms, including Gushungo Dairy Estate in Mazowe, formerly known as Foyle Farm, which was the top dairy farm in Zimbabwe. The farm owner faced a campaign of violence over many months in 2003 until he was forced to sell his property at a quarter of its value, and ultimately he only received 40 percent of [continue reading]

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