VOA标准英语2009年-Zimbabwe's Mugabe Has Built Secret Farming

By Peta Thornycroft
Southern Africa
02 October 2009

 
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe addresses the 64th session of the General Assembly at the United Nations headquarters, in New York, 25 Sep 2009
Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has said his fast-track land reform program, launched in 2000, was to give Zimbabwean land back to landless blacks and that each individual should acquire and own only one farm. However VOA has discovered that he has taken five formerly¹ white-owned farms, while his wife Grace Mugabe has taken six. VOA spoke² with several workers from several of the farms, some of whom have been working on the farms for decades.

President Mugabe's estate is in Darwendale district about thirty miles northwest of Harare, close to his tribal³ home. It lies adjacent to the large state-owned Lake Robertson, often called Darwendale Dam, which gives him access to unlimited⁴ water for irrigation.

The 4,000 hectare estate is made up of six farms, one of which is Highfield that Mr. Mugabe purchased in a normal commercial transaction nine years ago. Workers on the farms, the former farm owners, and current neighboring farms told VOA a group of veterans of the liberation war originally forced off most of the white owners of the remaining five farms between 2000 and 2002.

Then, the workers say, operations at the farm were taken over by the then government's Agricultural Rural Development Authority or ARDA. They add that in 2006, the properties were taken over by Mr. Mugabe, through one of his companies, known as Gushungo, his clan⁵ name.

Records seen by VOA show Mr. Mugabe has three holding companies registered at the deed's office in Harare, Gushungo Investments, Gushungo Security, and Gushungo Construction.

The war veterans involved in the original takeover told VOA they were happy to move off the land to make way for Mr. Mugabe because he is their hero for liberating⁶ them from white rule. They now live on adjoining farms which they say they struggle to farm because they have received little seed and other inputs⁷ from the government in recent years.

The so-called fast-track land reform program launched by Mr. Mugabe in 2000, has been a chaotic⁸ operation often accompanied by violent invasions of the properties by armed supporters of Mr. Mugabe. Some owners were killed, and many were severely⁹ injured along with some of their employees. Most of the workers fled the farms after the initial invasions, accused of loyalty¹⁰ to the departed white farmer, or connections with the opposition¹¹ Movement for Democratic Change.

Under the program, all previously¹² owned, white-owned rural land, including wildlife conservancies, was nationalized. No current land register exists. Individuals and groups who now occupy and work land from which title deed holders¹³ were evicted¹⁴, acquired their right to occupation by means of a so-called Offer Letter signed by Didymus Mutasa, former Lands Minister in the Previous ZANU-PF government. Efforts to ascertain¹⁵ whether Mr. and Mrs. Mugabe have Offer Letters for their properties have thus far not been successful.

Former owners of the land now occupied by the Mugabes, now mostly living in Australia and New Zealand, say they have not received any compensation for substantial improvements to their farms or for their farming equipment - recompense to which they are entitled by Zimbabwe's land laws. Mr. Mugabe says that Britain, the former colonial power, must pay farmers for the land taken since 2000.

More than 4,000 white farmers have been evicted under the program since 2000, and Mr. Mugabe has stated its purpose was to provide small farms for landless peasants. In 2003 he said large farms for black Zimbabweans who wanted to farm commercially should be restricted to 400 hectares and that no individual should occupy more than a single farm.

Many leaders in Mr. Mugabe's party ZANU-PF, ignored this, and accumulated more than one farm. It has only now become clear that he has done so too. Mr. Mugabe's estate, unlike much of the land seized from whites is productive and has new farm equipment.

The workers said they preferred working for the previous white owners because they were paid bonuses after good harvests, could borrow money, and had more communication with their former employers than they had with Mr. Mugabe, who they say visits his estate about once every three months.

The jewel in the crown of Mrs. Mugabe's seized farms is Gushungo Dairy Estate, formerly Foyle Farm, in Mazowe about 30 kilometers north of Harare. At the time it was seized from the owner, it was Zimbabwe's top dairy enterprise, producing more than 6.5 million liters a year.

The state controlled Herald¹⁶ newspaper reported that costly¹⁷ new equipment has been installed on the farm, workers at the dairy and some of Mrs. Mugabe customers say it now produces about a million liters a year.

Until this week, most of the milk was sold to Nestle Zimbabwe. Nestle now says it has halted purchases from Gushungo Dairy Estate. There was international outrage¹⁸ over the company's dealings with Mrs. Mugabe, with some groups threatening boycotts¹⁹ of Nestle products.

Brian Raftopoulos of Zimbabwe's Solidarity²⁰ Peace Trust told VOA he was surprised to learn about Mr. Mugabe's estate. He said it explains why Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has been unable to get officials to produce an audit²¹ of all land in Zimbabwe - as required by the so-called Global Political Agreement which brought the current unity²² government into being.

"I think its clearly hindering the land audit, and because obviously it is a great deal of, a proper land audit will bring out a great deal of information about land holding and land ownership patterns in the country," said Brian Raftopoulos.

Raftopolous notes that Mugabe's acquisitions are further evidence of the rapid accumulation of land by the elite²³ who surround Mr. Mugabe. He says it appears to be an emerging military agricultural complex of the military and political elite who now control key sectors²⁴ of the state and economy.

"But of course it also means that this new, this group who have now accumulated such vast amounts of wealth, also concerned about the prospects²⁵ of losing that land, or at least having it exposed to a broader public, and are worried about the democratic processes which will open up the debate around such issues," he said.

Raftopoulos notes that the Mugabe land holdings are a very real impediment to fully²⁶ implementing²⁷ the political agreement.

Neither Mr. Mugabe nor his wife, nor the agricultural minister Joseph Made replied to questions about whether public money was used to equip and run the first couple's farming operations.

The land upheavals²⁸ triggered an unprecedented²⁹ economic decline in Zimbabwe as commercial farmers used to produce forty percent of Zimbabwe's exports.

1 formerly   

adv.从前，以前

参考例句：

• We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
• This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。

2 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

3 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

4 unlimited   

adj.无限的，不受控制的，无条件的

参考例句：

• They flew over the unlimited reaches of the Arctic.他们飞过了茫茫无边的北极上空。
• There is no safety in unlimited technological hubris.在技术方面自以为是会很危险。

5 clan   

n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派

参考例句：

• She ranks as my junior in the clan.她的辈分比我小。
• The Chinese Christians,therefore,practically excommunicate themselves from their own clan.所以，中国的基督徒简直是被逐出了自己的家族了。

6 liberating   

解放，释放( liberate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Revolution means liberating the productive forces. 革命就是为了解放生产力。
• They had already taken on their shoulders the burden of reforming society and liberating mankind. 甚至在这些集会聚谈中，他们就已经夸大地把改革社会、解放人群的责任放在自己的肩头了。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）

7 inputs   

n.输入( input的名词复数 )；投入；输入端；输入的数据v.把…输入电脑( input的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Uncheck the inputs checked for optimization in the previous stage. 不测试那些已经测试过的优化了的以前步骤的inputs.（变量参数）。 来自互联网
• Just in case, save in a file the inputs obtained at the previous stage. 以防万一，保存以前步骤获得的inputs（变量参数值）到一个文件中去。 来自互联网

8 chaotic   

adj.混沌的，一片混乱的，一团糟的

参考例句：

• Things have been getting chaotic in the office recently.最近办公室的情况越来越乱了。
• The traffic in the city was chaotic.这城市的交通糟透了。

9 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

10 loyalty   

n.忠诚，忠心

参考例句：

• She told him the truth from a sense of loyalty.她告诉他真相是出于忠诚。
• His loyalty to his friends was never in doubt.他对朋友的一片忠心从来没受到怀疑。

11 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

12 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

13 holders   

支持物( holder的名词复数 )； 持有者； （支票等）持有人； 支托（或握持）…之物

参考例句：

• Slaves were mercilessly ground down by slave holders. 奴隶受奴隶主的残酷压迫。
• It is recognition of compassion's part that leads the up-holders of capital punishment to accuse the abolitionists of sentimentality in being more sorry for the murderer than for his victim. 正是对怜悯的作用有了认识，才使得死刑的提倡者指控主张废除死刑的人感情用事，同情谋杀犯胜过同情受害者。

14 evicted   

v.（依法从房屋里或土地上）驱逐，赶出( evict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• A number of tenants have been evicted for not paying the rent. 许多房客因不付房租被赶了出来。
• They had evicted their tenants for non-payment of rent. 他们赶走了未交房租的房客。

15 ascertain   

vt.发现，确定，查明，弄清

参考例句：

• It's difficult to ascertain the coal deposits.煤储量很难探明。
• We must ascertain the responsibility in light of different situtations.我们必须根据不同情况判定责任。

16 herald   

vt.预示...的来临，预告，宣布，欢迎

参考例句：

• In England, the cuckoo is the herald of spring.在英国杜鹃鸟是报春的使者。
• Dawn is the herald of day.曙光是白昼的先驱。

17 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

18 outrage   

n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒

参考例句：

• When he heard the news he reacted with a sense of outrage.他得悉此事时义愤填膺。
• We should never forget the outrage committed by the Japanese invaders.我们永远都不应该忘记日本侵略者犯下的暴行。

19 boycotts   

（对某事物的）抵制( boycott的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Their methods included boycotts and court action, supplemented by'sit-ins". 他们的主要方法包括联合抵制、法庭起诉，还附带进行静坐抗议。
• Are boycotts for other purposes illegal? 至于用于其它目的的联合抵制行动是否也是非法的呢？

20 solidarity   

n.团结；休戚相关

参考例句：

• They must preserve their solidarity.他们必须维护他们的团结。
• The solidarity among China's various nationalities is as firm as a rock.中国各族人民之间的团结坚如磐石。

21 audit   

v.审计；查帐；核对；旁听

参考例句：

• Each year they audit our accounts and certify them as being true and fair.他们每年对我们进行账务审核，以确保其真实无误。
• As usual,the yearly audit will take place in December.跟往常一样，年度审计将在十二月份进行。

22 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

23 elite   

n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的

参考例句：

• The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
• We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。

24 sectors   

n.部门( sector的名词复数 )；领域；防御地区；扇形

参考例句：

• Berlin was divided into four sectors after the war. 战后柏林分成了4 个区。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Industry and agriculture are the two important sectors of the national economy. 工业和农业是国民经济的两个重要部门。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

25 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

26 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

27 implementing   

v.实现( implement的现在分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• -- Implementing a comprehensive drug control strategy. ――实行综合治理的禁毒战略。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• He was in no hurry about implementing his unshakable principle. 他并不急于实行他那不可动摇的原则。 来自辞典例句

28 upheavals   

突然的巨变( upheaval的名词复数 )； 大动荡； 大变动； 胀起

参考例句：

• the latest upheavals in the education system 最近教育制度上的种种变更
• These political upheavals might well destroy the whole framework of society. 这些政治动乱很可能会破坏整个社会结构。

29 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。