The Zimbabwean government announced the payment of approximately 732 million euros in compensation to white farmers whose land was expropriated in 2000, during the agrarian reform program implemented by then-President Robert Mugabe.
Mthuli Ncube, Zimbabwe's Finance Minister, stated that $820 million (equivalent to about 732 million euros) has been paid to former landowners as part of ongoing reforms in land ownership and governance areas.
The minister made this statement after participating in the annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, held in Bangkok, Thailand, an event where he also shared Zimbabwe's progress in macroeconomic stabilization.
This new data complements previous information released by the Zimbabwean government on September 29, which stated that about $521 million (approximately 504 million euros) had been disbursed in compensation, benefiting a total of 623 farmers across three distinct phases. The government did not provide additional details regarding the number of farmers covered by this measure.
The payment of these compensations to agricultural owners represents a significant step forward in the process of settling outstanding payments and resolving the country's high debt, which has been in default since 1999, aiming to restore the confidence of international creditors.
Robert Mugabe's government, which led the country with a firm management style between 1980 and 2017, when he was removed from power by the military, expropriated about 4,000 white farmers in 2000. At that time, the country was facing an economic recession, and the land was occupied by white farmers who played a crucial role in the production of tobacco and vegetables, such as flowers, intended for export.
Subsequently, the black population began to informally occupy the vacant fields.