Makoni warns farm grabbers 'there will be gnashing of teeth'

Makoni warns farm grabbers 'there will be gnashing of teeth'

WARNING: Makoni and his wife Chipo at a rally in Harare on Sunday

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By Torby Chimhashu & Lebo Nkatazo

INDEPENDENT presidential candidate Simba Makoni on Sunday came short of branding President Robert Mugabe a liar when he expressed surprise at remarks by the 84-year-old leader that the former Finance Minister wanted to reverse land reforms for the benefit white land orders forcibly driven out of their properties since 2000.

"I would not have believed it had I not seen him personally on television on Friday,” Makoni told supporters at a campaign rally in Harare. “Had someone told me that Mugabe said I will return the land to whites, I would not have believed it.

"But what he said is not true. When did I say it (that I would return farms to whites) and where did I make such pronouncements? I, Simba Makoni Nyathi (his totem) won't reverse agrarian reforms but will make sure that those with multiple farms are taken and given to deserving people. In short, I will give the farms to the deserving majority not a few politicians who have grabbed farming equipment and parade at their idle farms.”

Makoni accused Mugabe of hypocrisy. The Zanu PF leader, said Makoni, publicly castigated multiple farm owners but would cool off in his cabinet and politburo meetings where "he sat with multiple farm owners".

He charged that Mugabe had backtracked on his policy of "one farm per person”.

Warned Makoni: "Those with more than one farm each, those who took farms by force saying ‘there is a nice house on top of the mountain; there is a dam’ -- there shall be gnashing of teeth! They will face the consequences.

"I advocate for a fair, transparent, equitable and just land reform not a skewed exercise that breeds starvation. An audit under Mavambo/Kusile (A New Beginning) will give land to the majority. We have noted that nothing tangible came out of the land audits did by Charles Utete and Flora Bhuka. Now we hear Didymus Mutasa has his own (audit).”

Mugabe, while addressing his supporters in Harare on Friday, tore into Makoni and accused him of wanting to reverse his controversial land seizures.

The octogenarian leader launched a scathing attack on his former minister by labelling him "a British stooge, political witch, charlatan and prostitute".

Since the land seizures began in 2000, Zimbabwe has seen a dramatic decline in food reserves. For the eighth year running, the country is grappling with a food deficit.

Makoni also moved to quash speculation that he could be a decoy for Mugabe.

“There those who say I am still with Mugabe. I will not go backwards,” he said.
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