Zimbabwe: Situations of persons of Malawi origin who are Zimbabwe citizens in Zimbabwe

A paper on "Zimbabwe's Farm Workers and the New Constitution," posted on the Africa Policy Group Website early in the year 2000, stated "lack of land rights and the problem of national registration" were two of the big issues faced by farm work communities in Zimbabwe (Amanor-Wilks, Feb. 2000). The paper further stated that

farm workers have remained outside the normal governance structures available to other Zimbabweans communities largely because they have traditionally been viewed as "aliens," even though many of them are in fact Zimbabwean, and a good number second, third or fourth generation Malawians, Mozambicans and Zambians who have no other home but Zimbabwe, but because of high levels of illiteracy and lack of political representation may not have regularised their status in the country ... in many ways the right of farm workers to be protected under the new constitution is complicated their unclear citizenship status ... (ibid.).

The African Church Information Service Journal, states that Zimbabwe's land resettlement, which was launched by President Mugabe in 1999, "has affected more than a million farm workers, nearly half of the total commercial farms work force, who trace their origins to Malawi" (23 Apr. 2001). It adds that

even more alarming are signs that the majority of them have no alternative means of livelihood ... at the height of the farm seizures ... the farm workers, the majority of them Malawians, had their houses torched, their property ransacked and women and girls assaulted ... independent reports from Zimbabwe say Malawians living on the farms have been reduced to destitution ... some of these workers are second or third generation Malawians from Zimbabwe mothers, some of whom have never set foot on Malawi soil ... although many such uncertain farm workers have since made efforts to procure Malawian passports, many more have settled for Zimbabwean passports and identity cards (ibid.).

The above claims were countered in the same article by Zimbabwe's acting High Commissioner in Malawi's capital, Lilongwe, who reportedly said that all farm workers were equally benefiting from the land resettlement program regardless of their ethnicity, and Malawians were not subject to discrimination "because most of them are Zimbabweans of Malawian origin holding Zimbabwean passports and identity cards" (ibid.).

No information on the situation of Zimbabwe citizens of Malawi origin who are not farm workers could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

African Church Information Service Journal. 23 April 2001. "Mugabe's Land Reform Programme Affects Aliens." (Africa News Service/NEXIS)

Amanor-Wilks, Dede. 12 February 2000. "Zimbabwe's Farm Workers and the New Constitution." [Accessed: 1 Aug. 2001]

The Financial Gazette [Harare]. 14 December 2000. "Legion of Foreign Farm Workers Stranded." [Accessed: 1 Aug. 2001]

Additional Sources Consulted

Africa Confidential [London].

Africa Contemporary Record [London].

Africa Research Bulletin [Oxford].

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 2000. 2001. United States Department of State. Washington, DC: [Zimbabwe]

IRB Databases. LEXIS/NEXIS

Keesing's Record World Events [Cambridge].

Resource Centre. Country File. Zimbabwe.

Two oral sources consulted did not provide the requested information.

Search engines including:

Google.

Mamma.

Internet sites including:

Africa News

IRIN

Human Rights Watch