Made sets aside farms for green bombers

Minister of Lands, Agriculture, and Rural Resettlement, Joseph Made, announced that two farms in each province would be set aside “for utilization by graduates of the National Youth Training” programme.

The youth militia graduates-commonly known as “green bombers” – joined the ranks of soldiers and prisoners as “new farmers”.

Full cable:

Viewing cable 03HARARE2415, GREEN BOMBERS” JOIN THE RANKS OF LAND

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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS HARARE 002415

SIPDIS

NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JFRAZER

E.O. 12958: N/A

TAGS: ECON EAGR PGOV ZI

SUBJECT: “GREEN BOMBERS” JOIN THE RANKS OF LAND

BENEFICIARIES

REF: IIR 6 926 0018 04

¶1. Summary. Minister of Lands, Agriculture, and Rural

Resettlement, Joseph Made, recently announced that two farms

in each province will be set aside “for utilization by

graduates of the National Youth Training” program. Now, the

notorious youth militia graduates — commonly known as “green

bombers” — join the ranks of soldiers and prisoners as “new

farmers” in this brave new world. End summary.

¶2. This new initiative of allocating farms to paramilitary

units closely follows the GOZ’s decisions to allocate entire

farms to its military organizations and prison system. In

the case of the National Youth Training Program, it is less

clear who will actually be operating the farm. In the case

of some previous military and prison allocations, the farms

would allegedly be worked to provide food for soldiers or

prisoners, respectively. In the case of the banana

plantation recently seized by Zimbabwe Defense Industries

(ZDI) (ref), the implication was that ZDI only wanted to

siphon cash from the operation. Although the purported aim

of the program is to develop “national and self-development,”

it is difficult to imagine the curriculum producing dedicated

subsistence farmers or farm laborers.

——-

Comment

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¶3. The logistics, as well, are difficult to envision.

Although the news report states that input support will be

provided to those who are “given the land,” it is highly

unlikely that two farms in each province (18 farms total)

will even begin to appease the wave of underemployed youths

churned from the program. It is also not clear whether the

farms will be operated as training centers (for youths who

have ostensibly already graduated from training), or will be

carved into small plots for private use. This points out one

of the key false notes in the entire Land Resettlement

program. If all Zimbabweans have a right to own land, how

will the GOZ accommodate the future waves of Zimbabwean

claimants? It also underscores the inherently chaotic nature

of the program, in which the GOZ makes up rules as it goes

along — with no rhyme, no reason, and no vision of what

agriculture will look like when the program is complete.

SULLIVAN

(18 VIEWS)