I think the former colonial masters should only pay for land if the commercial farmer who has had his land taken owned that land prior to 1980, or inherited it from a relative who owned it prior to 1980.

If the farmer bought the land himself - after 1980 and with the government's consent - then in my opinion the government cannot dishonour that agreement or else it means any assurance the government ever makes about land will be distrusted. Security of tenure is very important.

If people think it is OK for the government to take the land away from farmers who purchased it with Zimbabwe government consent (issuing certificates of no interest) after 1980 then you are getting dangerously close to saying white people do not have a right to farm in Zimbabwe ever.

That is racist and unacceptable in a modern democracy.

So we need a land audit, which not only identifies elite individuals with multiple farms, but also identifies those farmers who, in my opinion, have been lied to and cheated by this government. These are the trusting individuals who bought a farm after 1980, with a certificate of no interest, believign that the new government would honour its word. The fact that the Zanu PF government conveniently back-tracked on their word after 2000 is just WRONG --- and its an injustice we cannot blame on the former colonial master, and you cannot expect the former colonial master to pick up this debt.

Security of tenure, government agreements, and rights of all races to farm need to be upheld and protected in the new constitution.