Zimbabwe Finance Minister says the US$3.5 billion compensation for white farmers is still confidential

THE HON. SPEAKER:  Your interest in these issues; I committed myself and you are beginning to receive some responses.  I will take advantage of the presence of the Hon. Minister of Finance. We wrote to your office on the 10th May, 2022 concerning some requests for ministerial responses on questions without notice that were not adequately covered. These relate to:

1. All documents and addendum pertaining to the Global Settlement Deed,
2. The agreement for the $38 million with the Dutch Government to compensate 11 farmers,
3. Details of the US$3.3 billion assumed by the State in the 2022 Budget, including those whose blocked funds were also similarly acquired and to whom the funds were released, and
4. The issue of a list of ZAMCO loans acquired by Government.

These matters are still outstanding Hon. Minister since our communication in May.  So if you could kindly indulge the august House to have those documents as raised by Hon. Markham. Can I get clarification on which document was summarised Hon. Markham.

HON. MARKHAM: The summarised document is the Global Settlement Deed. The Global Settlement Deed has financing behind it and there is also an issue of extensions. It is important to see the extensions because that payment is due in the next month.

THE HON. SPEAKER: The request was for a full document which speaks to all the facts and issues so raised. Since we will adjourn until 12 July, 2022, that should give you sufficient time to get all the documents together and then they are tabled accordingly, as requested.

THE MINISTER OF FINANCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (HON. PROF. M. NCUBE): I thank you Mr. Speaker for repeating those requests from Hon. Markham. Could I confirm with him as to what he has received so far and what he considers to be inadequate. I thank you

HON. MARKHAM: On the Global Settlement Deed, I have received a three page summary and that is all. On the issue of the Dutch farmers, I have received the terms of payment to the farmers signed by the representatives of the Zimbabwe Government. I actually have not received the loan or the terms of the loan from the Dutch Government to the Government of Zimbabwe to pay the said farmers, but I am happy with what I have got on that one. The issue I have with the blocked funds, I have got the VERITAS thing which states the numbers and it adds up to two point something but we approved in this House $3.3 billion. So there is a slight difference. I would like to know who the blocked funds; we know who they were blocked. For example they were blocked for company A here but who did they pay? We would like to know who they paid because $3.3 billion is a huge sum of money and that is my reasoning.

THE HON. SPEAKER: Is that clearer now Hon. Minister?

Continued next page

(334 VIEWS)