Posted on 08/09/2002 8:55:11 AM PDT by Clive
AGRI-SA director Jack Raath stunned Acting President Joseph Msika and ministers at the Commercial Farmers Union (CFU) annual congress on Wednesday by delivering a frontal attack on government in their presence.
The South African agricultural leader, who was attending the meeting as an invited guest, seized the stage with ginger and condemned government's land reforms and economic policies.
"Mr Acting President, you have told the truth and let me tell the truth because only that way can we move forward," he said. "There is gross mismanagement of this country's economy by your government. There is confusion and destruction in the way you are dealing with this issue of land reform and this is disappointing."
Raath said he was not there to fudge issues but to tell the truth. He said hand-wringing and a timid response by the South African leadership had not helped matters.
"I also see increased racism in Zimbabwe at this point in time," he said amid muffled voices of protest by government officials, in particular Minister of State in Msika's office, Olivia Muchena.
"I must tell you this because it's what we observe," Raath continued. "We can't just ignore this and say it's not true. Some of the things happening here look crazy to us and they are not good for the region and Zimbabwe itself. We need a paradigm shift."
Raath said ill-conceived reforms like the mining reorganisation in South Africa and the ongoing land redistribution in Zimbabwe had been poorly undertaken.
"Can we afford this?" he rhetorically asked. "Are we taking the continent forward if we are doing this?"
Other government officials who had to endure Raath's broadside were acting Agriculture minister Ignatius Chombo, who was standing in for Joseph Made who was in Singapore with President Mugabe, Public Service minister July Moyo, and Mashonaland West provincial governor Peter Chanetsa.
Msika looked glum at the high table while Chombo continued scribbling notes as Raath delivered salvo after salvo.
There was a low-intensity verbal clash between government officials and CFU officials ahead of last night's midnight's deadline for thousands of farmers to vacate their land.
Restrained confrontation simmered in statements and a thread of mutual hostility ran through all the addresses.
Msika set the tone warning government would deal with defiant farmers.
"The launch of the land reform programme was met with a lot of resistance from most of you," he said. "Not only did you sensationalise a noble objective but also both politicised the programme and even internationalised it. We are aware there is a small clique amongst you (thought to be a reference to Justice for Agriculture) who are itching for continued confrontation with government. This group will only have itself to blame," he said without elaborating.
Turning to charges of racism, Msika said: "I have never been a racist and I will never be a racist. I despise racism." But only recently Msika said whites were not human beings.
CFU president Colin Cloete struck back at Msika, saying the land reform exercise was chaotic and muddled.
"Government's declared land reform policy is not in question," he said. "However, the amendment of the Land Acquisition Act and subsequent actions brought about a variety of interpretations on implementation, resulting in confusion and causing a breakdown of law and order thereby giving free rein to warlords, settlers, and other elements to take control on the ground and operate outside the laid down rules."
CFU regional executive Ben Freeth had opened the meeting with a controversial prayer, which also unsettled authorities.
Part of the prayer said: "Lord God thank you for the situation we now face. Thank you not because we enjoy being dispossessed or assaulted or because we enjoy having friends or family murdered and abandoned...but because we are being taught to learn."
For one moment I hoped that in reading the title that you had misspealed "rapped". And at a CFU conference, it wouldn't have surprised me.
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