10/01/2002

A million or more farm workers and their dependents have been displaced by land reform activities in Zimbabwe. "They are a community in real trouble. It is a national problem," one aid agency told Refugees International (RI) earlier this month. While some farm workers have remained employed on the farms, others have moved to cities, become part of growing squatter communities, have followed family ties to communal areas, or are trying to survive in the bush. Non-governmental agencies that are trying to help these farmer workers and their families find it is a challenge even to locate them.

One farm worker who has been able to stay on the ranch where he had been employed since 1998, talked with RI. With the headlights of a parked vehicle breaking the darkness, and surrounded by three of his colleagues, Francesco stood with his arms crossed tightly against his chest as he described with some hesitation his family’s situation and uncertain future. He later explained his hesitation by saying, "This is our first time to see people from outside [the ranch]."

When the ranch property was listed for redistribution, Francesco’s landowner-boss "didn’t say a word" and still hasn’t told his workers "officially" what is happening. Francesco has continued to tend the cattle, but his former boss lives in town now. The four workers and their families still reside in the same house where they lived when the boss resided on the property, but with glassless windows and no electricity. Their former employer continues to pay a small salary for the skeleton crew. About 25 other former employees on the same compound have not been as fortunate. They are "starving and have no money," reports Francesco. Sometimes newly settled farmers give them piecework, but it just isn’t enough to keep them going.

Francesco and the other workers can foresee that they too will lose their livelihoods. When the redistribution took place, they were told to wait and that they would get land later because "it is not available now." Francesco says, "We don’t know what to do next. It is the same for farm workers everywhere. No one we know got land. We just want a chance to get land and improve our lives."

The economic struggle and lack of food are two primary concerns for displaced farm workers. Francesco says, "The gap widens, we get poorer each day." Women, generally responsible for securing food and household goods, are particularly challenged to stretch a monthly salary of Z$4,000 (Z$600 = U$1) in a situation where a liter of cooking oil is Z$700, a bar of soap is Z$300 or Z$400, and even a box of matches costs Z$15. Right now these workers are still able to go to the nearest farm to buy food, but their funds are far from sufficient to meet their needs. The current drought has compounded the food problem, and farm workers don’t have access to any food from the Grain Marketing Board, which provides some relief for other needy Zimbabweans. In addition, farm workers are no longer able to get food from sources they used before the drought. "We need help at this point," Francesco acknowledges. The price of everything has "increased four or five times. We can’t talk about having sugar or oil. We survive on one meal a day."

Farm workers are not able to get affordable health care, and some cannot access care at all. The nearest clinic for these families is 10 to 12 kilometers away. In the past, the former boss normally would have provided a car and driver for medical emergencies. Now, medical costs have become prohibitively high. An expectant mother is required to make a Z$14,000 deposit before she can even register at the hospital to deliver. "We don’t know how to bridge the cost difference," Francesco says. The families also have difficulty getting clean drinking water. Most of them borrow from the neighboring farm, but that is only a short-term solution.

Francesco’s three children are able to go to school, but he is very worried about how they will obtain proof of identification when they turn age 18. He has heard that people who try to secure identification from the authorities are told to go "have tea" and come back. When they return to the office to continue the process, they are told it is too late in the day or are given some other excuse. In the end, most families "give up" securing identification for their children. The cost of taking time away from their livelihoods to attempt registration further reduces their willingness to try.

Lack of proof of identity places a number of restrictions on individuals. They cannot vote. Their movement is limited "because they want to know who you are." And a person with no identification can’t get a death certificate. Reflecting about the future of his own children, Francesco says, "I am not optimistic about their future. It is blank. We are likely to bury them, but we can’t afford a coffin."

The international community has been aware of the plight of displaced farm workers in Zimbabwe for a long time, but the response, to date, has been inadequate. One advisor has been sent to the country to create a database on the displaced populations and make recommendations after a two-month assessment. Refugees International is very concerned about the large numbers of people left vulnerable by the ongoing land reform process and has called on both the government of Zimbabwe and the international community to provide immediate support and durable resettlement solutions for them.