Swiss farmers stand to lose all in Zimbabwe

Thousands of white farmers are facing the prospect of eviction from their land Keystone Archive

Thirteen Swiss farmers are among nearly 3,000 white landowners in Zimbabwe facing eviction after a government deadline to leave their land passed.

The deadline – which expired at midnight on Thursday – is part an initiative launched by President Robert Mugabe two years ago to redistribute white-owned land to blacks. A farmer who defies an eviction order faces a fine and up to two years in prison.

Farmers groups said hundreds of families had already abandoned their land, but some farmers said they might return if they felt it was safe for them to do so.

Despite the deadline, correspondents say it may take days or even weeks before the government enforces the order.

“There’s a lot of confusion here right now and none of us knows what will happen,” Eduard Jaun, the chargé d’affaires at the Swiss embassy in Harare, told swissinfo.

“But there’s certainly a lot of tension among farmers and their families,” he added.

Zimbabwe has been in crisis since February 2000, when pro-government militants, led by veterans of the 1970s liberation war, began invading white-owned farms.

Eleven white farmers have been killed during farm invasions, and thousands of black workers have been assaulted and forced to abandon farms.

The seizure law comes at a time when Zimbabwe – once the breadbasket of the region – faces severe food shortages.

Analysts say disruption to agriculture as a result of state-backed farm invasions has compounded both the food shortages and the country’s severe economic crisis.

Staying put

Juan said that of the thirteen Swiss farmers, one had already left his farm and two had negotiated deals to share their land with their black employees. Of the remaining ten, seven were still undecided as to what to do and another three had decided to remain on their land, in defiance of the deadline.

“Some farmers have decided just to wait and see because it’s still not clear what action the government will take,” Jaun said. “But they’re aware of the risks they’re taking.”

“Of course, there’s also still a possibility that, as on previous occasions where farmers have been ordered to leave, nothing will happen at all – but this time it looks more serious.”

Jaun places little importance on Wednesday’s ruling by the High Court in Harare that blacks could not seize mortgaged farms if the state had not properly informed the appropriate mortgage institutions.

“The present government doesn’t tend to bow to judgements by the High Court, so I don’t think it’s of much importance.”

Class action

A number of Swiss farmers were considering the possibility of joining with their European counterparts to file a class action lawsuit in Washington against the Zimbabwean government to claim compensation for the land seizures, Jaun added.

“[It would be a way of enforcing] an investment protection agreement Switzerland has with Zimbabwe,” he said.

“But Swiss farmers are reluctant to launch into such an undertaking because it would be very costly and lengthy.”

Many farmers have already left Zimbabwe to relocate to other African countries, especially Zambia, Mozambique and South Africa, but Jaun says others still have a strong emotional tie to the nation.

“Many Swiss farmers were actually born here, so moving back to Switzerland is a big decision to take,” Jaun explained.

New sanctions

Meanwhile, the Swiss government announced on Thursday that it would extend existing financial and travel sanctions, which were imposed on Zimbabwe in March.

The measures now apply to both Mugabe and more than 70 of his representatives and relatives.

by Vanessa Mock