Zimbabwe plans to restore properties to white farmers from whom Mugabe's regime forcibly took them.

Zimbabwe's government has announced plans to return dozens of foreign-owned farms, seized over two decades ago, to their original owners, although the overall land reform policy remains unchanged, according to Agriculture Minister Anxious Masuka on Friday.

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The land reform drive, launched by Robert Mugabe in 2000, led to the eviction of thousands of white farmers, often through violent means, and the subsequent redistribution of their land to black Zimbabweans in an effort to address historical injustices.

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This policy sparked international sanctions, which further isolated the country economically by restricting its access to the global banking system.

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Agriculture Minister Anxious Masuka stated that 67 farms, covered by bilateral investment agreements but currently unoccupied, will be returned to investors from Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland.

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Additionally, over 400 white farmers will be permitted to repurchase all or part of their original farms, Masuka announced.

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A further 840 farms, belonging to black Zimbabweans, will also be restored to their rightful owners, according to the minister.

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Minister Masuka emphasized that the land reform was a response to historical grievances against the oppressive regime, which had driven thousands of black Zimbabweans to take up arms in a bid for liberation.

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He asserted that the land reform is irreversible, stating that the people now have their land and the land has its rightful masters.

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Critics, however, have dismissed the announcement as a sign of government indecision, with social justice activist Tendai Mbofana describing Zimbabwe's land policy as being driven by political expediency.

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Mbofana noted that the policy is marked by a disconnect between its revolutionary rhetoric and pragmatic concessions, according to remarks made to AFP.

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In 2020, President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who succeeded Mugabe, agreed to pay $3.5 billion in compensation to approximately 3,500 commercial farmers who were evicted during the land reform.

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However, due to Zimbabwe's debt of over $21 billion, the government has struggled to fulfill this commitment.

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In 2023, the offer was revised to provide one percent of the compensation in cash, with the remainder paid in US-dollar-denominated Zimbabwean treasury bonds bearing two percent interest.

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Zimbabwe is currently seeking to mend its relationships with Western creditors through an arrears clearance and debt resolution process.

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The country, once renowned for its agricultural production, now grapples with chronic food shortages.