VOA标准英语2008年-Zimbabwe Farmers Wait for Promised Compensation

One of the reasons Zimbabwe's economy is such a mess is the collapse¹ of the commercial farming sector². This is due in part to the government's chaotic³ and sometimes violent land-reform program launched in 2000. The recently signed political power-sharing agreement states that the land reform is irreversible. Tendai Maphosa reports for VOA from Harare.

Agriculture used to be Zimbabwe's number-one foreign currency earner. But since the land-reform program began taking farms from whites, the country has had to rely on food imports and aid handouts⁴. The black farmers who took over the land were ill equipped in terms of farming skills and capital to maintain production.
　
Peter Bowen, 42, a white farmer from Zimbabwe, points to his potato cultivations (File photo)

The mostly white Commercial Farmer's Union and the Justice for Agricuture group represent less than 1,000 commercial farmers. Of these less than 300 are actively⁵ farming, down from 4,000 at the beginning of the farm seizures⁶.

Some white farmers have left Zimbabwe, but others are still in the country fighting to get their farms back or to be compensated⁸.

The Zimbabwean government has said it would only compensate⁷ farmers for improvements on the farm, not the land.

It says former colonial-power Britian should compensate for the land.

The recently signed power-sharing deal underscores this and also adds that land acquisition and redistribution is irreversible.

The Commercial Farmers' Union did not respond to VOA's request for an interview, but Justice for Agriculture's John Worsley-Worswick said while the agreement addresses compensation for land, responsibility for other compensation lies squarely on the shoulders of current and future Zimbabwean governments.

"They are talking about compensation for the land, our compensation issues are not confined to the land only; we are talking about the fixed⁹ improvements on farms, we are also looking at the fact that no farms have been legally acquired and no farmer has been compensated fairly or equitably," he said.

Worsley-Worswick listed grievances¹⁰ for which farmers are demanding compensation - including loss of earnings¹¹, loss of equipment, relocation costs and cost of litigation.

He said his organization would rather negotiate with the government than continue with litigation, which he described as a fallback position. The Justice for Agriculture spokesman warned that should the government not be prapered to compromise, his organization would try to block international assistance necessary for Zimbabwe's recovery.

"We have got to find a way forward that frees up the title in this country and re-engages international financial support," said Worsley-Worswick. "Certainly if our property rights continue to be infringed¹² we will make every effort to have that support culminated¹³."

A spokesman for the British Embassy in Harare told VOA that while Britain views support of rural recovery as part of a wider recovery package for Zimbabwe, it has never accepted responsibility for the compensation of farmers.

The power-sharing agreement acknowledges the haphazard¹⁴ manner of the land-reform program and proposes a non-partisan land audit¹⁵ for the purpose of establishing accountability and eliminating multiple-farm ownerships.

Critics of Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe have accused him of giving the best land to ranking members of his government and party. They also charge that some of the beneficiaries have more than one farm while many Zimbabweans are still land hungry.

 

1 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

2 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

3 chaotic   

adj.混沌的，一片混乱的，一团糟的

参考例句：

• Things have been getting chaotic in the office recently.最近办公室的情况越来越乱了。
• The traffic in the city was chaotic.这城市的交通糟透了。

4 handouts   

救济品( handout的名词复数 )； 施舍物； 印刷品； 讲义

参考例句：

• Soldiers oversee the food handouts. 士兵们看管着救济食品。
• Even after losing his job, he was too proud to accept handouts. 甚至在失去工作后，他仍然很骄傲，不愿接受施舍。

5 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。

6 seizures   

n.起获( seizure的名词复数 )；没收；充公；起获的赃物

参考例句：

• Seizures of illicit drugs have increased by 30% this year. 今年违禁药品的扣押增长了30%。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Other causes of unconsciousness predisposing to aspiration lung abscess are convulsive seizures. 造成吸入性肺脓肿昏迷的其他原因，有惊厥发作。 来自辞典例句

7 compensate   

vt.补偿，赔偿；酬报 vi.弥补；补偿；抵消

参考例句：

• She used her good looks to compensate her lack of intelligence. 她利用她漂亮的外表来弥补智力的不足。
• Nothing can compensate for the loss of one's health. 一个人失去了键康是不可弥补的。

8 compensated   

补偿，报酬( compensate的过去式和过去分词 )； 给（某人）赔偿（或赔款）

参考例句：

• The marvelous acting compensated for the play's weak script. 本剧的精彩表演弥补了剧本的不足。
• I compensated his loss with money. 我赔偿他经济损失。

9 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

10 grievances   

n.委屈( grievance的名词复数 )；苦衷；不满；牢骚

参考例句：

• The trade union leader spoke about the grievances of the workers. 工会领袖述说工人们的苦情。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• He gave air to his grievances. 他申诉了他的冤情。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。

12 infringed   

v.违反（规章等）( infringe的过去式和过去分词 )；侵犯（某人的权利）；侵害（某人的自由、权益等）

参考例句：

• Wherever the troops went, they never infringed on the people's interests. 大军过处，秋毫无犯。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He was arrested on a charge of having infringed the Election Law. 他因被指控触犯选举法而被拘捕。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

13 culminated   

v.达到极点( culminate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• a gun battle which culminated in the death of two police officers 一场造成两名警察死亡的枪战
• The gala culminated in a firework display. 晚会以大放烟火告终。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 haphazard   

adj.无计划的，随意的，杂乱无章的

参考例句：

• The town grew in a haphazard way.这城镇无计划地随意发展。
• He regrerted his haphazard remarks.他悔不该随口说出那些评论话。

15 audit   

v.审计；查帐；核对；旁听

参考例句：

• Each year they audit our accounts and certify them as being true and fair.他们每年对我们进行账务审核，以确保其真实无误。
• As usual,the yearly audit will take place in December.跟往常一样，年度审计将在十二月份进行。