By Own Correspondent| Farms which were protected under Bilateral Investment Protection and Promotion Agreements (BIPPAs) and Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs), including those owned by indigenous corporates, could also be returned to their previous owners upon application for repossession.

MDC-Alliance legislators, Tendai Biti and Innocent Gonese on Wednesday challenged Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi and Lands, Agriculture, Water and Rural Resettlement Deputy Minister Vangelis Haritatos to explain why they were returning land to white former farmers.

In terms of Statutory Instrument 62 of 2020 — Land Commission (Gazetted Land) (Disposal in Lieu of Compensation) Regulations, 2020 — former landowners under these categories can either opt for repossession or monetary compensation.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa said the country had sanctions imposed on it for repossessing its land.

He said:

“They have imposed sanctions on us because we repossessed our land. Let me be categorically clear that the land reform programme is irrevocable.

Our people got their land back, with or without hunger; with or without bumper harvests we took back our land. We will have our land forever.

“Nothing will change that. Nobody will remove us from our land. So those who want to re-engage with us must admit that the land of Zimbabwe belongs to the people of Zimbabwe. There is no negotiation on that issue.

We went to war because of the land. The land is the heritage for our future generation. We must teach our children to be patriotic. Our children should love their country just as Americans and Chinese love their countries.” -StateMedia