Derogate. Someone Must Do Something.
After listening to Harry from The Compensation Steering Committee (CSC) some two weeks ago and following my comments I realised that we are all guilty of waiting for someone else to do something in regard to compensation for displaced farmers in Zimbabwe. As I am writing this I have not heard the outcome of The Southern African Agri Initiative (SAAI) sponsored meeting in London. Nearly everyone I meet in Europe is surprised to the point of disbelief upon learning our land was taken without compensation.
“Opportunity comes with awareness. The meeting in London if nothing else will make more people aware of our plight.” - Peter McSporran
The Government may have put the land issue on the back-burner with the build-up to election time but for certain following the election, whoever wins or rather is allowed to win, will immediately have to address the national debt and by default the land issue in their efforts in to raise money.
I have no doubt our lack of enthusiasm to be proactive is partly due to our age, the fact that we now feel too old to instigate a plan with the gut feel the present Government has no intention to pay us. Unlike Biden who thinks he can continue to be President of the United States well into his eighties, we are tired. For myself, I am convinced there will be no compensation until the rule of law returns or until there is a new democratic government in Zimbabwe. Both of which I think in the near future is a pipe dream, but it will inevitably come.
“With each economic debacle brought about by corruption and misgovernance reflected in hyperinflation, a weakening currency, unemployment and hardship I find it hard to believe the past elections have been a true reflection of the will of the people. At some stage this will change.” - Peter McSporran
Despite the focus of the Government on the election, we, the Title Deed Holders (TDHs) need to organise ourselves to ensure that the battle for compensation does not die along with us. As I have previously written, I believe the present government never planned to honour the redemption of the bonds at their true face value even if they did manage to raise the money which was always highly unlikely.
“The GCD was never an instrument to compensate the farmers, rather it was a means to obtain our agreement. I doubt the real intention of the present Government was to ever pay in any form, let alone in foreign currency.” - Peter McSporran
Further, while $3.5 billion in world terms does not sound like a lot. In saying that, the global conscience is unlikely to consider compensation to dispossessed white farmers without a broader plan to get Zimbabwe back onto a sound economic footing. So the figure required for the country with our share included is many times greater, probably a number in excess of six times the $3.5 billion. Further, the idea that the USA would derogate Zidera for us was ludicrous. Harry said we should ignore what the USA says and look towards Europe and the African Development Bank but have a look at what global institutions are affected under Zidera.
The international institutions which are prohibited by the Act from advancing finance to the Zimbabwean government include the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the International Development Association, the International Finance Corporation, the Inter-American Development Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the Inter-American Investment Corporation, the African Development Bank, the African Development Fund, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the Multilateral Investment Guaranty Agency. - NewsDay
The word derogate brings me to the constitution of the CFU (Commercial Farmers Union) and its objectives. I have read the constitution a couple of times trying to understand the CFU stance, especially in their recent action in passively, maybe not so passively, supporting the bond issue. I think this is due to their constitution clearly stating that the first objective is to represent and support those commercial farmers still actively farming. This is articulated in para 4.1* of the Union's objectives. In the next paragraph, 4.2* compensation is mentioned amongst a plethora of other roles and actions but all are derogated to the objectives in the first paragraph. That is looking after and serving those on the land first, not the TDHs. My interpretation of this is that the CFU must rightly abide by that constitution and therefore cannot be expected to fight tooth and nail with the present Government for compensation while endangering the security of those on the land. A clear conflict vehemently denied by both the CFU and CSC. While the CSC is not the CFU it has been mandated through the CFU and therefore its objectives or actions must be in line with the thinking and constitution of the CFU.
There lie our problems. Our age and relying on an organisation that may be sympathetic with us but its priorities and constitution dictate to look after others before us. I was in my early fifties when I lost my farms, younger than many. I am now in my mid-seventies with most of my peers either my age or older. I think therefore it would be wise to constitute some new faces to represent us, especially a group unconflicted but with an interest in seeing Zimbabwe recover economically. If you are in your sixties, I now consider you young. While we perhaps can rely on support from SAAI, we cannot rely on and expect others to represent our cause. Our group needs to be led and seen to be globally supported by TDHs.
“It is time we, the dispossessed farmers, organised themselves into a more formal organisation rather than rely on others, including the CFU, who though possibly not of their own violation, do not necessarily have our best interest as a priority in their own survival agenda.” - Peter McSporran
While I think we are still a long way from receiving any compensation, it is imperative that we constitute ourselves, including our heirs, into a body to represent future negotiations with Government and foreign interests groups involved in Zimbabwean land compensation in the future. We presently seem to be a rudderless ship. I for one am aware of some of the younger generation that are more than capable of taking over the reins.
“We old farmers are very African as we look towards our elders for leadership rather than the bright and innovative. Respect is one thing, but will and energy is for the younger.” - Peter McSporran
We, the elders, just need to supply the leverage through support to give them the confidence to do so. We need a new unity. Unlike the CSC it will need both legal and financial support from the off. Organisations like SAAI can help with the required network, legal support and open doors but the voice must be of our ‘ilk’.
“We only look to the CFU due to its historical role in our past lives, not what it is and represents now.” - Peter Mcsporran
We cannot expect the CFU to continue to do so. Therefore, we need to institute and slowly build up the credibility of the new group, the best way being whatever that entity is for all of us to get fully behind them. Their task will be hard but there are still enough of us oldies
around to offer the initial support.
Nothing is Simple Anymore.
For a number of years here in Portugal, we have known that we were going to get a street with a name. We always had a street complete with street lights; it just did not have a name. It acts as our main entry road and runs through the centre of our village with only a couple of short one or two house lanes coming off it.
“It was rather nice living in a street with no name. Unfortunately, with the name comes numbers, everything comes with numbers nowadays. It seems those in control can track us easier by number than name.”- Peter McSporran
The village inhabitants jointly chose the name of the street perhaps some two years ago at a village meeting point, which in our case is a large tree in the centre of the village. Our village is too small for a bus stop let alone a meeting hall. We were informed at a later stage we would receive a number for our house too, names would be unacceptable. Bureaucratic wheels turn slowly, in fact, so slow sometimes you fail to see or predict the direction of the movement. Then just recently we were asked to go to the Câmara, our local council chamber in Penela to be allocated a house number which the good ladies there did with the assistance of Google Maps and some higher decision maker at the end of the computer terminal. Considering there are only thirty houses or so in our village of which some twenty-plus are on our street, that now being the newly named Rua Principal, we were very surprised to find that the number allocated to our house was 646. We thought then perhaps our neighbours were 645 and it was a running total including other villages on our main entry road. No, our immediate neighbour's number turned out to be 470. Another house a few houses away we learned was 66. These appear to be very random numbers, certainly no chronological sequence. I would hate to be a visitor trying to locate a house in our village by the house number on the street.
Now the tricky bit. After two years of inertia, our number must be displayed at our entrance and it was stressed by the nice ladies at the Câmara that our number needs to be used immediately in all correspondence posted to us or our mail will not be delivered. No problem, we thought, we'll do it in our own time, that was until a few days later the electricity utility company said their correspondence to us had been returned due to the wrong address being used. Two years to be allocated a number, then just a few days for us to inform all of our new address, which is simply the old one just with the addition of a number; 646. This address has been used since the house was built close on twenty years ago. The mailman knows us well, we have a friendly chat from time to time, so obviously the rejection of our correspondence must have been done in the sorting office no doubt by some scanning computer.
“As Artificial Intelligence (AI) takes over our lives we will learn it is even less flexible than the most bureaucratic-minded public servant.” - Peter McSporran
So we immediately started to inform people of our change of address, friends no problem, relations no problem but government departments, including UK Tax and Pension Offices and other local institutions and licensing authorities, a major task. I blame this on the younger generation in their desperation to make everything simpler in their minds with the use of the internet and its complex tools and apps which in fact, to us oldies, make it virtually impossible. For those that know a little about computers perhaps it’s feasible but not so for those that are computer illiterate or do not have a smartphone or computer let alone downloaded the apps or banking tools. Most of our neighbours do not use smartphones for example, therefore this problem is much more widespread than the young technocrats think. Why do our preceding generations not understand this?
“One of the greatest exclusions in our society is not race or gender but access to a computer or smartphone and the ability to use it.”- Peter McSporran
Many of the web page forms resemble a computer game, rather than a logical process. Often you find the continuity button in the most obscure place on the screen always with some discreet acceptance box to tick before proceeding. With so many possible pitfalls and options if you fail to tick or complete the correct box the screen reprimands you and demands you go back and do so. Not even politely. Push the wrong button and you are immediately sent back to the start. It may even tell you that you are not you and shut you out completely. No argument or pleading with a fellow human who may have some empathy.
In the modern day ringing a helpline means endless waiting on the telephone only to be told by a computer to press a number for your required service each described so vaguely to create, if not confusion, anxiety in its choice. If successful, you once again find yourself waiting for that option to be answered. They say this is labour saving and speeds up the process therefore improving the service! If you believe that, you will believe anything. Maybe for the receiver the very, opposite for the caller.
“I am convinced the opening line, “This call is being recorded for security or training reasons,” is really to stem the tide of expletives that have been building up in your frustration on waiting for a person not a computer to answer your call.” - Peter McSporran
Most in our recent change of address process required proof of your new or rather old altered address, not easy without a utility bill to that new address. Luckily, the Câmara issued a legal document as proof, not accepted by all, especially overseas. Bureaucrats, if nothing are sticklers to their own requirements, no compromise, no matter how good the alternative. We still have to inform the UK banks who will neither understand the legal document and will insist on a utility bill. To their credit, our offshore bank was actually the easiest mainly because we could speak directly to someone. Some things they are happy to modernise while others remain archaic as most of our bills are now emails not printed on paper. We need a utility bill for each of us, only our electricity utility corresponds with traditional written postal bills. Yet another challenge. By the way, I am not doing this arduous task, my wife, Rozanne is and the household temperature is rising.
On top of this, they have started my investigation into my returned prostate cancer with a PET scan and blood tests this week. I am always disappointed I do not glow after the radioactive marker is intravenously put into my blood. I arrived early and despite this, they welcomed me by using my first name and taking me straight down for the procedure. A government establishment! Anything nuclear in Portugal hospitals always seems to be below ground level.
Next week, further blood tests then a consultation with the oncologist on possible treatment for my prostate cancer. Then in the first week of July, I start my tests and scans for my stomach cancer review with the surgeon.
“To younger people that are concerned about what they will do with their time in retirement, do not worry, it is never boring.” - Peter McSporran
*Constitution of The Commercial Farmers' Union - Commercial Farmers' Union of Zimbabwe. (As amended 2011)
Disclaimer: Copyright Peter McSporran. The content in this blog represents my personal views and does not reflect corporate entities.
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