Zimbabwe Commences $3 Million Compensation Process for Land Seizures

Zimbabwe has made its first compensation payment of $3 million to white farmers whose lands were seized during the controversial land reform program over two decades ago. This payment is part of a 2020 agreement where the government committed to compensating $3.5 billion for the confiscated farmlands. However, the government has only agreed to pay for “improvements” made on the land. It has refused to pay for the land itself, contending that it was unfairly seized from black farmers. The payment will cover the first 378 farms, out of 740 farms, for which payments have been approved. It represents 1% of the total $311 million allocated for the first batch of payments, with the rest to be paid for with US-dollar-denominated Treasury bonds.