Britain 'should compensate Zimbabwe farmers'

Britain has a responsibility to compensate white Zimbabwean farmers whose land has been seized, Zimbabwean Foreign Minister Stan Mudenge said today.

“Let’s take the route of reason and try and persuade the British government to honour its agreement so white farmers in Zimbabwe do not suffer the trauma they are going through,” Mudenge said after a meeting between South African and Zimbabwean ministers in Pretoria.

“They should not be made to suffer,” he added.

Zimbabwe has accused Britain of reneging on promises to fund land redistribution programmes.

Britain says it cut off funding in the 1990s because the programs were corrupt and the land was being given to ruling party cronies instead of poor black farmers.

Mudenge criticised British policy toward his country as too strident but commended his South African neighbours who have been accused abroad of being too soft.

“When your neighbour is down, you don’t drive a truck over him, you give him a hand so he can get up,” he said.