A group of war veterans has demanded that President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government cancel the Global Compensation Agreement (GCA) signed with local farmers’ representative groups within 48 hours or face a court challenge.
The group of ex-combatants has threatened to approach the High Court seeking an order to stop the government from paying the proposed US$3.5 compensation to white former commercial farmers.
In a letter to Lands Minister Anxious Masuka, titled, ‘Demand for Suspension For Its Discriminatory’, the war veterans pressure group’s legal representative, Kanoti and Partners Public Interest Lawyers, said:
Clients instruct that we demand on their behalf, we hereby do, that within 48 hours of receipt of this letter issue out a response(s) to ourselves together with a public statement admitting that the recent July 2020 compensation claim for farm improvements agreement between government and former settler white races progeny citizenry was discriminatory.
On the grounds of race and constituted cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment upon the indigenous black race citizens of this nation coming as the agreement did ahead of/ or for having prioritised settler white race concerns as against the local black race’s own long outstanding pre-colonial and also post-colonial sufferance under the machinations of the occupying settler white race and therefore that government is withdrawing from or suspending performance.
Clients are shocked government acted in the manner it did and view the agreement as a sell-out understanding.
Masuka on Wednesday told NewZimbabwe.com that the government was simply doing what the national constitution dictates.
He chided the war veterans, saying their apprehension was uncalled for and unnecessary.