“Not 1 Cent of Compensation”: Zimbabwean Speaks About Losing His Farm After 20 Years of Hard Work

• A man who farmed in Zimbabwe for over 20 years opened up about being forcibly removed from his land in 2002
• He had legally purchased the farm in 1992 with government approval and a loan from the Agricultural Finance Corporation
• People were deeply divided on his story, with some expressing sympathy and others sharing their own experiences

A farmer who spent over two decades building a life on his land in Zimbabwe has spoken out about the day it was all taken from him. Instagram content creator @zupa.vlog shared the interview on 7 March 2026, sitting down with the man at his home in Zimbabwe. The caption told his story:

"He bought land, poured his life into it, and built a farm. Then he was forced out, losing everything. No compensation. A devastating reality for farmers."

Man speaks about losing his Zimbabwe farm

The man explained that he legally bought his farm in 1992. It was twelve years after Zimbabwe's independence, after receiving a written letter from the Minister of Agriculture confirming the government had no interest in the land. The Agricultural Finance Corporation, a Zimbabwean government bank, approved and funded the purchase. He paid every cent of that loan back.

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By 2002, he had 800 head of cattle, 40 hectares of coffee, a new tobacco crop in the ground and had just been named a finalist in the tobacco and grain competition that year. He was a seed maize grower with crops ready to harvest. On 2 September 2002, officials arrived and gave him 30 minutes to leave.

"Twenty years of work... I had to pack what I could in 30 minutes," he said. "We lost all our furniture, all our photographs of our kids, all our historic things."

He and his workers were severely beaten when they refused to go. His tractors, cattle, crops and everything on the property were taken. The irrigation infrastructure, dams, chemicals and fertiliser he'd invested in were left behind. He's never received a single cent in compensation.

"Promises all the time. Lots of money, millions of dollars. Never. To this day, not one cent."

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Zimbabwe's land reform and its lasting impact

Zimbabwe's land reform programme, which began in earnest around 2000 under President Robert Mugabe, saw thousands of white commercial farmers forcibly removed from their properties. According to the farmer, around 4,000 white farmers lost their land during this period.

Watch the Instagram clip here.

People discuss the farmer's story

The comments section on the Instagram user @zupa.vlog's clip was filled with strong and varied reactions:

@dylannvw_ wrote:

"Feel sorry for this man. My dad also bought a farm in 1997, about 5,300 hectares in KZN Zululand. We were also chased away in 2020 and were promised millions, but only got about 6% of the total R67 million. I hope this oom gets his blessings x100."

@stripes7654 said:

"You bought and paid for it. Then they wait till it's all paid off and everything works, walk in and take it. Within a year, everything is either broken or dead. Then the hunger starts, bring back the farmers?"

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@lexi2740 wrote:

"And now the country is starving. All the people are fleeing to other countries."

@nunuki_za added:

"And now Zimbabweans are roaming SA like orphans, working for the same white man. Make it make sense 🤷🏾‍♀️"

More on SA and African farmers

• Briefly News recently reported on a Pretoria farmer who went viral for growing peppers bigger than anything found in supermarkets.
• A South African-born farmer living in Alabama sparked fierce debate after going public with his feelings about leaving South Africa.
• A 76-year-old man survived a violent attack at his Kameeldrift East farm in Pretoria, and the details of what happened reignited a heated national debate.

Source: Briefly News