Zimbabwe seized white farmers’ land. Now some are being invited back.

Many of the farmers in Zimbabwe are black now a days. That was not the case about 15 years ago. Most of the farmers in the 1980s were white. The change was caused by the Zimbabwe government deciding to seize the land of white owners and give them to mostly black farmers. Many Zimbabwe citizens felt this was the right thing to do, because they were under colonel rule for a long period of time. The issue with getting rid of all the white farmers is that they are the most experienced ones. Agriculture in Zimbabwe has not been the same over the past 15 years. The article mentions how Zimbabwe was one of the strongest economies in Africa, but now is one of the weakest economies. Black farmers need to pay their bills, and many of them are seeking the help of white farmers. This is really ironic, because they wanted to get rid of all the white farmers, but now want them back. Even the government is unsure if they want the help of white farmers again. In the article, it mentions Douglas Mombeshora, and how his views on having a joint venture with white farmers seems to change from week to week.

It was really interesting to see how one group of people wanted to kick out another group of people, but then deciding that they actually need that one group of people for help. I cannot blame the Zimbabwe people for wanting to get rid of white farmers and replacing them with blacks. I do however think that it has led to a steady decline in the economy. Agriculture is a huge boost for any economy, and if you do not have the right farmers, then it will be tough to succeed. Zimbabwe needs to let the white farmers back into the country, because they truly do need their help on this issue. Two wrongs do not make a right, and Zimbabwe should be the bigger person here. I also found it interesting how even the white farmers who are still around today are struggling financially. This just goes to show that no matter what color you are, Zimbabwe needs a lot of help in boosting their economy. All of Zimbabwe needs to come together to help the economy get back to where it once was.

Milto Deli


Link:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/zimbabwe-seized-white-farmers-land-now-some-are-being-invited-back/2015/09/14/456f66d6-45d2-11e5-9f53-d1e3ddfd0cda_story.html