Its been estimated that 80% or more of the commercial farms which were taken had been bought on the open market after Mugabe came to power. About 15% were protected under bilateral investment agreements signed between Zimbabwe and other nations around the world.

As a direct result of failing to honour these investor protections investment inflows have fallen close to zero.

These commercial farms provided the gas on which Zimbabwe ran, they provided a majority of foreign currency, majority of food grown, majority of agricultural exports and more than one million people called these farms home.

The road network in rural Zimbabwe has more or less collapsed, because the commercial farmers paid road dues that kept these roads maintained. The cattle herd has fallen drastically, it took almost a hundred years to bred these special cattle so that they thrive in Zimbabwe, once they are lost they are lost forever.

If you care about the land its worth noting that wildlife has been decimated by the so called new settlers, forrests have been cut down, gold panning along river banks have resulted in massive siltration. The extensive irrigation facilities have mostly been looted and sold as scrap, its been estimated that more than 80% of these farms now lie fallow, unused.

Its cost about five billion dollars in lost revenue and destruction, a not insignificant sum for a small nation like Zimbabwe.

On what basis can you say its right to steal anyones hard earned capital when looked at in this way. Unfortunately its the poor who suffer while the well connected continue to plunder a once rich country,

Allan.