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Morning
8 March 2000



Land Reform Is Government's Priority, Officials Say


The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination this morning concluded its consideration of a report presented by the Government of Zimbabwe on how that country was implementing the provisions of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.

Patrick Anthony Chinamasa, Zimbabwe’s Attorney-General and head of the delegation, said land reform was a priority for the Government in order to enhance the country's economy. Land distribution would be carried out according to the ethnic composition of the country. The nation-wide land reform would also encompass the communally held land. The intention was not to simply take away the land from the whites and to give it to the blacks. It was aimed at boosting the national economy and upgrading the living standards of the black majority.

Peter Nobel, the Committee expert who served as country rapporteur to the report of Zimbabwe, recommended that in line with the newly enacted law on the prevention of discrimination, the Government should fulfil its obligation under article 4 of the Convention. According to article 4, all States should take effective measures to revise governmental and other public policies and to rescind laws and regulations which had the effect of creating and perpetuating racial discrimination wherever it still existed.

The Committee will issue its final observations and recommendations on the report of Zimbabwe towards the end of its three-week session, which concludes on 24 March.

Zimbabwe's delegation was led by Mr. Chinamasa, and he was accompanied by Boniface Guwa Chidyausiku, Permanent Representative of Zimbabwe to the United Nations Office at Geneva; Tadeous T. Chifamba, Deputy Permanent Representative at the Permanent Mission; Cosmas L. Zavazava, Minister Counsellor at the Permanent Mission; and Felix Maonera, First Secretary at the Permanent Mission.

As one of the 155 States parties to the Convention, Zimbabwe is obligated to submit periodic reports to the Committee on efforts made to combat racial discrimination in compliance with the provisions of the treaty.

Before adjourning its morning session, the Committee considered a model for concluding observations presented by one of its members. It was also decided to send a message to the members of the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women on the occasion of International Women's Day which is commemorated today.

When the Committee reconvenes at 3 p.m., it will take up the report of Denmark.

Discussion

PATRICK ANTHONY CHINAMASA, Attorney-General of Zimbabwe, said that in 1980, 16 million hectares of land had been held by whites while an equivalent amount of land had been communally owned by the black population. The land held by blacks was too poor to be used for agricultural development.

Mr. Chinamasa was of the view that land could be acquired from the whites and distributed to blacks who would invest their agricultural know-how to develop it into an economically productive sector. He said that the act of acquisition might not involve financial transactions because of the fact that the land was not originally bought by the present owners; it was taken away from the original blacks owners by the white settlers. In the process, some compensation could be paid out, he said.

The Attorney-General said land distribution would be carried out according to the ethnic composition of the country. Land reform was a priority to the Government to enhance the country's economy. The nation-wide land reform would also encompass the communally held land. The question was from which farmer to take the land, and the intention was not to simply take away the land from the whites and give it to the blacks. It was aimed at boosting the national economy and upgrading the living standards of the black majority. For all conflicts emanating from the act of land distribution, judicial recourse was available, he said.

Mr. Chinamasa recalled that to date, 70,000 families had benefited from the resettlement programme. Given the increasing population in communal areas, the pressure to proceed faster with resettlement was mounting.

PETER NOBEL, the Committee expert who served as country rapporteur to the report of Zimbabwe, thanked the delegation for their exhaustive, frank and well-clarified answers to the questions raised by the Committee members.

Mr. Nobel recommended that in line with the newly enacted law on the prevention of discrimination, the Government should fulfil its obligation under article 4 of the Convention. According to article 4, all States should take effective measures to revise governmental and other public policies and to rescind laws and regulations which had the effect of creating and perpetuating racial discrimination wherever it still existed.

Discussion on Model Concluding Observations

The model, which was presented by Committee expert Michael Parker Banton, was seen by many expert as a reference for writing the concluding observations on each country situation. Many experts were of the view that since country situations were different from one another, the model could only be a reference.

The text indicated how to present concluding observations on a given country report with an introduction; factors and difficulties impeding of the Convention; positive aspects; and concerns and recommendations. The Committee took no action on the text.

The Committee also discussed a proposal to appoint three of its experts as members of a working group on communications. The appointment would be decided during the Committee's bureau meeting.


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