Zimbabwe Starts To Pay White Farmers For The Loss Of Their Farms

Zimbabwe’s massive payout to former farmers: What the latest figures show Zimbabwe has issued US$508.8 million (about R8.36 billion) in Treasury bonds to former commercial farmers, it has been reported. Author image By Dumani Moyo Published Sep 29, 2026, 19:41 in Zimbabwe News Zimbabwe’s payout to former farmers 0 Zimbabwe’s payout to former farmers. Image: Pexels Google Preferred Badge Google News Badge Zimbabwe has issued US$508.8 million (about R8.36 billion) in Treasury bonds to former commercial farmers as the Government continues its long-running compensation programme. The latest figures were reported by The Herald following an update by the country’s Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion Deputy Minister Kudakwashe Mnangagwa in Parliament. According to Mnangagwa, 623 claimants have received upfront cash payments, while Treasury bonds worth US$508.8 (about R8.36 billion) million have been issued to beneficiaries under the first two batches. ADVERTISEMENT The first batch comprised 378 claimants who received US$3.19 million (about R52.5 million) in cash and Treasury bonds worth US$305.47 million (about R5.02 billion). The second batch involved 245 claimants, who received US$2.09 million (about R34.4 million) in cash and bonds valued at US$203.29 million (about R3.34 billion). A third batch of 258 claimants has received US$2.15 million (about R35.4 million) in upfront cash payments, but Treasury bonds for this group have not yet been issued. Zimbabwe’s US$3.5 billion compensation deal The payments are part of the Global Compensation Deed signed by the Government and representatives of former commercial farmers in 2020. The agreement commits Zimbabwe to paying about US$3.5 billion (R57.6 billion.) to approximately 3 500 former farm owners for improvements made on compulsorily acquired land during the fast-track Land Reform Programme. The compensation for these farmers covers improvements rather than the value of the land itself. ADVERTISEMENT Meanwhile, farmers whose properties were protected under qualifying Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreements are entitled to compensation for both land and improvements. What the Treasury bonds offer The Treasury bonds issued to former farmers carry a fixed annual coupon rate of 2% and have a 10-year maturity period. According to The Herald, payments associated with the bonds, including annual coupon payments, are exempt from taxation. The Government also intends to engage the Victoria Falls Stock Exchange to list the bonds, potentially allowing beneficiaries to sell them before maturity if they require access to cash. The bonds have also been classified as liquid assets and granted prescribed asset status, potentially making them attractive to institutional investors such as pension funds. The latest compensation payments form part of broader Government efforts to address its outstanding obligations and support Zimbabwe’s arrears clearance and debt resolution programme. 0 comments

Is There An Active Serial Killer In South Africa?

Discovery of 11 Women’s Bodies Shakes South Africa as Serial Killer Fears Rise SOUTH AFRICA South Africa South African police are investigating the deaths of 11 women whose bodies have been discovered near Johannesburg since mid-July, in a series of murders that has shaken the country with one of the world’s highest femicide rates. South African police said this week that another body of a woman was discovered in an open field in Springs, in the Ekurhuleni municipality, east of Johannesburg. The cause of death, her age and identity remain unknown. This discovery came a day after another woman’s body was found near a cemetery in the same municipality. Police said that the victim appeared to have been stoned to death. The spate of killings and bodies of women discovered in the area since July has sparked fears that a serial killer or killers are responsible. The first remains were found in July and August within about 4.3 miles of one another. Six more bodies were found in Ekurhuleni over a 10-day period earlier this month. Police have cautioned that there is no conclusive evidence linking all the cases. A 36-year-old man was arrested Saturday in connection with the killing of the 10th victim, police said. The suspect allegedly fled nearly 250 miles to Limpopo province after the killing and was arrested there. Two women also face murder charges in connection with the death of another woman whose body was found Sept. 17. The killings have inspired fury in South Africa, which has high rates of femicide and violent crime toward women and children, despite years of government pledges to tackle the problem and even declaring it a national disaster.

Fighting Resumes In Ethiopia's Tigray Region

Fighting Resumes in Ethiopia’s Tigray Region, Sparking Fears of Wider Conflict ETHIOPIA Rebels from the northern region of Tigray launched a major offensive against Ethiopia’s federal government Wednesday, threatening a return to full-scale war and effectively breaking the 2022 peace agreement that ended a two-year conflict that killed hundreds of thousands of people. Forces from the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) seized control of airports in the Tigrayan cities of Mekelle and Shire, and reportedly Axum, while also launching attacks against government positions in the neighboring Afar and Amhara regions. Ethiopian Airlines suspended flights to all three cities. Getachew Reda – an adviser to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and a former TPLF leader – accused Tigrayan forces of launching an "all-out offensive" against government positions. The Afar regional government also accused the TPLF of launching an invasion and said its forces would defend the region alongside their allies. The TPLF-led regional administration, however, described its actions as a “defensive” war and accused Abiy’s administration of intensifying aggression against the northern region. Wednesday’s fighting followed months of growing tensions and sporadic clashes. The Ethiopian military has carried out a number of drone strikes against Tigrayan forces and massed troops near the regional border. In May, the TPLF seized control of Tigray’s government from the interim administration established under the peace deal. Ethiopia and the TPLF previously clashed during a 2020-2022 civil conflict that killed around 600,000 people. A 2022 peace agreement ended the fighting, but many conditions of the deal remain unfulfilled and both sides have accused each other of violations. Tensions escalated over the weekend after the TPLF also announced an alliance with six other armed groups aimed at overthrowing Abiy’s government. The armed coalition included former rivals of the TPLF, which had fought with the government during the Tigrayan war. But Wednesday’s offensive showed Tigrayan forces were fighting alongside a local armed group in Afar and the Fano militia in Amhara. The Fano fought alongside the federal government during the 2020-2022 Tigray war before rebelling against it in 2023. Meanwhile, there were concerns that Eritrea could be involved in the conflict: Eritrea, Ethiopia’s neighbor and historical adversary, militarily backed the federal government against the TPLF during the war, although relations between Addis Ababa and Asmara have since deteriorated. Eritrea has repeatedly denied accusations that it supports Ethiopian armed groups and declined to comment Wednesday on the latest developments. Diplomats and analysts have warned that renewed war could turn into a broader regional conflict and further destabilize the Horn of Africa and the wider Red Sea region.

Ethiopian Armed Groups Form Alliance Against The Government

Ethiopian Armed Groups Form Alliance Against Government ETHIOPIA Ethiopia Seven Ethiopian armed groups, including factions that fought on opposing sides of the 2020-2022 Tigray war, announced an alliance Sunday aimed at overthrowing Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government and establishing an inclusive transitional administration. The Ethiopian Peoples’ Forces Alliance for Survival brings together geographically and ethnically diverse groups, including the three major ones: the Amhara Fano National Movement, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA). In a statement, the groups accused Abiy’s government of imposing “dictatorial rule,” centralizing power and marginalizing Ethiopia’s regions. A source close to Fano said discussions over forming the alliance had been ongoing for about a year. Some members have previously fought each other and remain divided over territorial disputes. The Fano fought alongside federal forces against Tigrayan forces during the 2020-2022 war in the Tigray region, which killed hundreds of thousands. Amhara and Tigray also both claim Western Tigray, which Amhara nationalists have administered since the war ended. The alliance comes amid renewed concerns over conflict across Ethiopia. Fighting has continued in Oromia since 2018 and in Amhara since 2023, while recent clashes between federal and Tigrayan forces have raised fears of the outbreak of another full-scale war. A 2022 peace agreement ended the Tigray war, but left disputes over disarmament and the TPLF’s legal status unresolved. The TPLF reasserted control over Tigray’s political administration in May, accusing the federal government of failing to uphold the agreement, and declared the deal “effectively dead” in mid-July. Abiy’s government did not immediately comment on Sunday’s announcement. An adviser to the prime minister said last month that any such coalition would seek to create havoc but could not overthrow the government. Abiy came to power in 2018 promising political reforms and initially freed political prisoners and lifted bans on several parties. However, opponents and human rights activists have accused his government of backsliding.