White Farmers Turn to Trump-Linked Lobbyists for Zimbabwe Compensation Battle
Harare, 15 March 2026
Zimbabwean white farmers have hired Mercury Public Affairs, a Washington lobbying firm with Trump administration ties, to pressure Zimbabwe into paying £2.8 billion compensation for land seized during Robert Mugabe’s rule. The move has split farmer organisations, with some fearing it could worsen US-Zimbabwe relations through ‘racialised’ politics. Zimbabwe offered a compromise deal paying just 1% upfront with the remainder in 10-year bonds, which only 17% of affected farmers accepted.
The Compensation Standoff
The dispute traces back to the early 2000s when approximately 4,500 farms, predominantly white-owned, were seized and redistributed to black Zimbabweans under former President Robert Mugabe’s controversial land reform programme [1][2]. This resulted in the eviction of around 2,500 white farmers and contributed significantly to Zimbabwe’s economic collapse [1][2]. In 2020, President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government agreed to a $3.5 billion compensation package specifically for infrastructure improvements made to the seized land, rather than for the land itself [1][2].
Government’s Financial Constraints
Zimbabwe’s ability to honour the compensation commitment remains severely constrained by its massive debt burden of $23 billion [1][2]. The government has been unable to access World Bank loans for over 25 years due to defaulted interest payments [2]. In 2025, authorities offered a compromise deal providing just 1% of the total compensation upfront, with the remainder issued as 10-year treasury bonds carrying 2% interest paid biannually [1][2]. However, this arrangement proved deeply unpopular, with only 17% of affected farmers—representing approximately 700 farms—accepting the terms [1][2].
Mercury’s Trump Administration Connections
Mercury Public Affairs LLC has been engaged through OB Projects Management to lobby for payment of the remaining $3.5 billion to Zimbabwean farmers [1][2]. The Washington-based firm’s services include ‘contacting appropriate officials in the current administration and Congress to promote paying the Zimbabwean farmers the remaining balance of $3.5bn’ [2]. Mercury previously represented Zimbabwe’s foreign affairs and international trade ministry after Mugabe’s downfall, working to improve US relations and filing documents in 2020 highlighting Zimbabwe’s potential for rare earth elements, identifying 12 sites with possible commercial deposits [2].
Split Within Farmer Organisations
The lobbying strategy has created divisions among farmer representative groups. The Commercial Farmers Union (CFU) has distanced itself from the US lobby group, with members expressing concern that OB Projects sent correspondence to Mercury without proper consultation [1][2]. Some farmers fear that involving Trump could deteriorate relations between Washington and Harare, citing worries about a ‘racialised’ approach to the compensation issue [2]. Meanwhile, Zimbabwe’s Property and Farms Compensation Association (Profca) confirmed engaging an American firm ‘a month or two ago’ to investigate the matter, with chairman Bud Whittaker acknowledging the organisation had written to the firm around January or February 2026 [2].
Government Response and Future Prospects
Zimbabwe’s Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube has indicated openness to external assistance, stating that outside intervention was ‘not necessarily a bad thing’ [2]. He emphasised the government’s commitment: ‘We are committed to paying and if they are trying to get other people to get us to pay, we have no problems with that. We are paying anyway and we would like to pay faster’ [1][2]. Parallel efforts have included attempts through South African contacts to arrange meetings with Elon Musk regarding financing the $3.5 billion debt [1][2]. Additionally, Profca has contracted a US company to secure funding for purchasing government bonds already issued to farmers, as part of a broader strategy to attract American investment in Zimbabwe’s critical minerals sector [2]. Meanwhile, new US legislation sponsored by Brian Mast would make future international funding contingent on Zimbabwe settling outstanding compensation within 12 months, though this deadline has not been met [1].