Cabinet ministers and traditional leaders who were fronting white ex-commercial farmers could lose their farms as they were undermining the principle of black economic empowerment, President Robert Mugabe warned yesterday.<\/p>\n
This followed reports that some of the ministers and chiefs were leasing their farms to whites while others were under-utilising the land allocated to them during the fast-track land reform programme.<\/p>\n
Mugabe, who was speaking at the launch of the new A1 permits at Chipfundi in Mhangura, accused his lieutenants of \u201csupping with whites\u201d and vowed that no farmland would be returned to whites again<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The President said sub-letting farms was undermining the essence of the land reform programme.<\/p>\n \u201cSome of my ministers are being mentioned here. They are refusing to remove white farmers from their constituencies,\u201d he said to the applause of people attending the launch.<\/p>\n Mugabe said chiefs who were supposed to be the custodians of land were also corruptly involved in land deals.<\/p>\n \u201cBut we are told that chiefs are also involved in land deals. Can we do that Mr Charumbira (Chief Fortune Charumbira president of chiefs council)? Can we be seen arresting chiefs? This is an issue which we will fight against,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Mugabe said those who were leasing their land risked losing it as an audit would reveal the true occupants of properties.
\nHe warned that all underutilised land would be re-allocated to deserving applicants…<\/p>\n