Staff Writer
Harare, Zimbabwe. (News of The South) One story which has not been told is that of the millions of dollars in banks and cash which white former farmers left as they rushed to leave the country after being evicted from their farms.
Most whites were not given time to pack their belongings and withdraw their money when they were ordered of the farms.
Most were given 24 hours to vacate while some were allowed to pack a few valuables into vehicles and left everything including household property and farm equipment.
Commentators say many of the farmers left large sums of money in banks which some unscrupulous managers converted to into their own accounts or those of their friends and relatives.
Many of the farmers went too far away countries like Australia and New Zealand where they settled and moved on with their lives.
Others have since died and did not have anyone to pursue the issue of the wealth which they left behind.
Commentators say it is the wealth which the former farmers left behind which has seen them sponsoring the opposition MDC in the hope that it will assist them recover it when it gets into power.
In an effort to pacify the white former farmers, the Zimbabwe government recently signed an agreement with them to compensate them for improvements made on the farms but not for the land.
Under the agreement, the government is expected to pay the farmers about 2 million as compensation.
The agreement has been received with mixed reactions with its critics saying it was passing the burden of paying for the seized land on citizens who did not get the farms.
Comments
About Author
