VOA标准英语2009-Zimbabwe Land Seizures Reportedly Intensify

By Scott Bobb
Harare
11 November 2009

 
Zimbabwe farm
Zimbabwe's few remaining commercial white farmers report they are under increasing pressure, some of it violent, to leave their land. It is the latest surge in farm seizures¹ since the Zimbabwean government embarked² on a land-reform program nearly 10 years ago. The program was aimed at righting one of the wrongs of the colonial era, but it has been controversial and is blamed by many for the country's economic decline. 

Evening is falling over the rolling fields of Spring Farm in Karoi, about 200 kilometers north of Harare. Owner Temba Mliswa is bringing his herds³ in for the night.

Mliswa farms tobacco, maize⁴ and beans and raises cattle, goats and sheep on 800 hectares he received seven years ago under Zimbabwe's land redistribution program. The program nationalized about 4,500 commercial farms owned by whites and gave them to thousands of black Zimbabweans.

 
Temba Mliswa
Mliswa acknowledges he has benefited from the program.

"The whole land reform is noble and I think there will always be a debate, when was it supposed to happen, when was it not suppose to happen," said Temba Mliswa. "I am a product of the land reform. I have done well. I have done more than the white farmers used to do."

One of the farm's 100 employees, Dadirai Mbeva, works in the fields. She says Mliswa pays them about $40 per month and provides food rations⁵, health care and schooling⁶ for the children.

I have four children, she says. Our boss treats us nicely. If a person falls sick he helps with money for hospital bills until you are healed. 

Mliswa took over the farm after the previous owner (Alan Parsons) and his family were beaten and driven away by a gang allegedly led by Mliswa.  The previous owner received no compensation and now lives in Australia.

 
John Worsick
John Worsick founded the Justice for Agriculture Trust after being driven off his farm in 2003. He says at the time the re-distribution began white-owned farmland had already declined by one-half, from 37 percent at independence to 18 percent in 2002.

He says President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF Party targeted farmers and farm workers because their areas voted largely against them in elections beginning in 2000.

"Mugabe knows that he has lost the support he had," said John Worsick. "The support was traditionally from rural areas. But he believes emphatically that he cannot win that back, but he can turn it back to him through a terror campaign, intimidation⁷ and terror out there, coupled to food, controlling food out there."

Minister of State in the Presidency⁸ and senior ZANU-PF official Didymus Mutasa was minister of lands during the first farm seizures.

"The land reform process is the best thing that has ever happened in Zimbabwe and it is the only process that our people will regain⁹ their humanity and their human rights," said Didymus Mutasa.

He says the land was taken illegally from black Zimbabweans. The white farmers say they purchased their land under a title system set up by colonial Britain 100 years ago.

Critics say the land seizures are largely responsible for the collapse¹⁰ of agriculture in the past decade. This has made Zimbabwe, once a food exporter, dependent on food imports and humanitarian¹¹ distributions.

And they say the eviction¹² of black farm workers has been a major factor in the country's 90 percent unemployment rate and declining standards-of-living.

Mr. Mugabe and ZANU-PF leaders, whose families own some of the largest seized farms, blame the economic decline on Western sanctions imposed because of human-rights violations¹³.

The farm seizures intensified¹⁴ this year after Mr. Mugabe entered into a power sharing government with former opposition¹⁵ leader and now Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, who opposes the seizures.

In Chegutu, north of Harare, the farms of Ben and Laura Freeth and her parents were burned recently under mysterious circumstances. Surveying the burned-out shells that once housed her family and her workers, Laura Freeth explains the attacks began months before by men known in the community.

"They broke into my parents' house in April," said Laura Freeth. "On three occasions there was a braking and entry charge. They were not arrested. Our workers were assaulted. One guy's head was fractured. Another other guy, they broke his feet. No arrests made. And all the crops stolen. All the equipment stolen."

 
Virginia Sibanda
Virginia Sibanda supervised a sewing cooperative on the farm whose 38 members made linens¹⁶ and table cloths. They lost everything in the blaze.

Right now we are clearing the ashes, she says, because we no longer have work to do. All the materials and finished items were burned in the fire.

Many people were disturbed by the violence that accompanied the seizures. But farm-owner Mliswa says this occurred because the former owners resisted.

"I have never known a revolution that has no blood," said Mliswa. "And this is something that of course was a revolution and it had blood on both sides."

University of Zimbabwe Professor Eldred Masunungure says popular support for land reform is widespread in Zimbabwe because a small minority was seen as controlling most of the good land.

"It is a recipe for social and political disaster and upheaval," said Eldred Masunungure. "So in terms of the principle of land reform, that is accepted across the board. But the method, the methodology of doing so is where there is contestation."

Analysts¹⁷ say very few of the seized farms are commercially productive.

They note that farmers were given 99-year leases rather than (freehold) ownership of the land. As a result banks are not willing to lend them money to buy fertilizer, equipment and seed.

In addition, land re-distribution stripped Zimbabwean agriculture of many of its most experienced farmers.

Analysts say black farmers should be helped to acquire the skills needed to operate successful commercial farms, but without the help of the displaced farmers that will take time.

1 seizures   

n.起获( seizure的名词复数 )；没收；充公；起获的赃物

参考例句：

• Seizures of illicit drugs have increased by 30% this year. 今年违禁药品的扣押增长了30%。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Other causes of unconsciousness predisposing to aspiration lung abscess are convulsive seizures. 造成吸入性肺脓肿昏迷的其他原因，有惊厥发作。 来自辞典例句

2 embarked   

乘船( embark的过去式和过去分词 )； 装载； 从事

参考例句：

• We stood on the pier and watched as they embarked. 我们站在突码头上目送他们登船。
• She embarked on a discourse about the town's origins. 她开始讲本市的起源。

3 herds   

兽群( herd的名词复数 )； 牧群； 人群； 群众

参考例句：

• Regularly at daybreak they drive their herds to the pasture. 每天天一亮他们就把牲畜赶到草场上去。
• There we saw herds of cows grazing on the pasture. 我们在那里看到一群群的牛在草地上吃草。

4 maize   

n.玉米

参考例句：

• There's a field planted with maize behind the house.房子后面有一块玉米地。
• We can grow sorghum or maize on this plot.这块地可以种高粱或玉米。

5 rations   

定量( ration的名词复数 )； 配给量； 正常量； 合理的量

参考例句：

• They are provisioned with seven days' rations. 他们得到了7天的给养。
• The soldiers complained that they were getting short rations. 士兵们抱怨他们得到的配给不够数。

6 schooling   

n.教育；正规学校教育

参考例句：

• A child's access to schooling varies greatly from area to area.孩子获得学校教育的机会因地区不同而大相径庭。
• Backward children need a special kind of schooling.天赋差的孩子需要特殊的教育。

7 intimidation   

n.恐吓，威胁

参考例句：

• The Opposition alleged voter intimidation by the army.反对党声称投票者受到军方的恐吓。
• The gang silenced witnesses by intimidation.恶帮用恐吓的手段使得证人不敢说话。

8 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

9 regain   

vt.重新获得，收复，恢复

参考例句：

• He is making a bid to regain his World No.1 ranking.他正为重登世界排名第一位而努力。
• The government is desperate to regain credibility with the public.政府急于重新获取公众的信任。

10 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

11 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

12 eviction   

n.租地等的收回

参考例句：

• The family have won a temporary reprieve from eviction.这个家庭暂时免于被逐出。
• He claimed damages for unlawful eviction.他要求对非法驱逐作出赔偿。

13 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

14 intensified   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Violence intensified during the night. 在夜间暴力活动加剧了。
• The drought has intensified. 旱情加剧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 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。

16 linens   

n.亚麻布( linen的名词复数 )；家庭日用织品

参考例句：

• All linens and towels are provided. 提供全套日用织品和毛巾。 来自辞典例句
• Linen, Table Linens, Chair Covers, Bed and Bath Linens. Linen. 采购产品亚麻布，亚麻布，椅子套子，床和沭浴亚麻布。 来自互联网

17 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。