...for Mugabe to just die already?
It sounds horrible, I know, but dear God, it's the only thing that's
going to bring Zimbabwe back from the brink. Particularly after this
debacle:
HARARE, Zimbabwe - In its latest crackdown on democratic
freedoms, the government announced Tuesday that all farmland will be
nationalized and private land ownership abolished. All land, including
more than 5,000 former white-owned farms handed over to blacks, will
become state-owned and subject to state-issued leases, Land Reform
Minister John Nkomo said. Title deeds of farm properties will be
scrapped and replaced by 99-year leases with rent payable to government
the state Herald newspaper reported. "There shall be no such thing as
private land," Nkomo said. Since the farm seizures began in 2000, about
200,000 black families have been allocated former white-owned land.
About a quarter were given larger properties for commercial rather than
small scale farming. Hundreds of black farmers also bought commercial
farms on the property market which will now be nationalized. Nkomo
asked land owners or occupiers to come forward for vetting to qualify
for state leases. He did not indicate when the nationalization program
would be completed. The government did not intend to "waste time and
money" in disputes on seizures of individual farms whose owners held
title deeds and other legal documents, he said. "Ultimately all land
shall be resettled as state property," he said.
{Insert sound of head slamming against desk. Repeatedly.}
I'm effing speechless. Can Mugabe possibly do more
to ruin his country? I think this will finally be the straw that breaks
the camel's back. You think it was bad when the black farmers squatted
on white-owned land to get said owners to bug out? That was nothing.
Those men, for all their numerous faults, were encouraged by Mugabe and
company to make land reform happen. Now, Mugabe's going to charge them
for that land? And then adds that they're not going to take time to
settle claims?
Wow. Expect outright revolt in Zimbabwe soon.