{"id":1292,"date":"2025-11-17T04:32:39","date_gmt":"2025-11-17T04:32:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/?p=1292"},"modified":"2025-11-17T04:32:41","modified_gmt":"2025-11-17T04:32:41","slug":"backlash-grows-against-sihlobo-as-zimbabwes-farm-revival-surges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/?p=1292","title":{"rendered":"Backlash grows against Sihlobo as Zimbabwe\u2019s farm revival surges"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

JOHANNESBURG<\/strong> – ZIMBABWEANS and senior academics have strongly rebuked South African agricultural economist Wandile Sihlobo, accusing him of persistent, xenophobic, and factually inaccurate attacks on Zimbabwe\u2019s agricultural resurgence.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sihlobo has repeatedly questioned Zimbabwe\u2019s historic reputation as \u201cAfrica\u2019s breadbasket,\u201d dismissing its achievements as overstated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the core of his critique, Sihlobo stated: \u201cWe must stop this \u2018Zombie idea\u2019 of Zimbabwe\u2019s agriculture. Zimbabwe was never the breadbasket of Africa. Zimbabwe was a self-sufficient food producer until its land reform programme was instituted.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His repeated statements, often aired publicly, have sparked widespread backlash on social media and from respected economists and commentators, many of whom labelled his narrative narrow, biased, and out of touch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Critics were quick to call him out with Derick Ku\u00fcn querying: \u201cWhy is this bothering you so much? They were self-sufficient and doing well until land grabs destroyed their economy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Man O\u2019 War: \u201cYou’re obsessed with that country (Zimbabwe); how many times are you going to repeat this?\u201d while Oliver Keith commented: \u201cOf course, coming from a mindless neighbour (South Africa), we aren\u2019t surprised.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr Glen Meda belittled Sihlobo: \u201cYou are simply an agricultural economics graduate. Zimbabwe was called the breadbasket of Africa, and indeed it was, because it supplied maize, wheat, and processed foods regionally for decades!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andrew Duncan weighed in: \u201cZimbabwe produced more than enough for local consumption and exported the surplus. No food aid was needed, and no one starved between 1980 and 2000,\u201d while Muchie Mangada bashes: \u201cHe disses Zimbabwe for clicks. The country has moved forward and is scoring huge achievements you cannot deny.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fabisch commented: \u201cStop obsessing\u2026 Accept these facts. Zimbabweans face xenophobia, and social media bias should not overshadow reality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Others highlighted the hypocrisy, noting that South Africa\u2019s own agricultural strength is heavily powered by Zimbabwean farm managers, workers, and agro-specialists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zimbabwean professionals dominate South African commercial farms, helping ensure the country\u2019s food security and efficient farm management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This includes senior agronomists, irrigation experts, and management staff who run South Africa\u2019s large-scale operations with high professionalism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contrary to Sihlobo\u2019s repeated dismissals, Zimbabwe\u2019s agriculture sector is experiencing a strong revival, anchored in real production gains, food security, and export potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Statistics show rgar in the 2024\/5 season, Zimbabwe harvested 1.82 million tonnes of maize, 288,344 tonnes of Sorghum, 111,399 tonnes of Pearl millet, 23,376 tonnes of Finger millet and 622,141 tonnes of Winter wheat (surpassing national consumption of 360,000 tonnes),<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In total, Zimbabwe produced 2.24 million tonnes of cereals in 2024\u201325, with over 58% of maize stocks retained to ensure national food security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These figures confirm that Zimbabwe is not only self-sufficient but also strengthening its role as a regional food supplier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Historically, Zimbabwe fed its own population while exporting maize, wheat, and processed foods to neighboring countries, including South Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The country\u2019s revival underscores that the \u201cbreadbasket\u201d label was neither exaggeration nor myth. Today, Zimbabwe is producing a surplus while maintaining buffer stocks, demonstrating resilience, strategic planning, and a modernized agricultural approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sihlobo\u2019s repeated denigration of Zimbabwe\u2019s agricultural history is increasingly untenable. His commentary is widely viewed as xenophobic and factually inaccurate, especially when weighed against Zimbabwe\u2019s measurable gains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moreover, South Africa\u2019s agricultural sector relies heavily on Zimbabwean expertise \u2014 from farm management to specialized agricultural professionals \u2014 highlighting the undeniable contribution of Zimbabweans to regional food security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zimbabwe\u2019s agriculture is thriving once again. Questioning its status as Africa\u2019s breadbasket now ignores both historical evidence and present reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014 CAJ News<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

JOHANNESBURG – ZIMBABWEANS and senior academics have strongly rebuked South African agricultural economist Wandile Sihlobo, accusing him of persistent, xenophobic, and factually inaccurate attacks on Zimbabwe\u2019s agricultural resurgence. Sihlobo has repeatedly questioned Zimbabwe\u2019s historic reputation as \u201cAfrica\u2019s breadbasket,\u201d dismissing its achievements as overstated. At the core of his critique, Sihlobo stated: \u201cWe must stop this […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1293,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43,170,169,172,2,173,141,176,45,3,178],"tags":[210],"class_list":["post-1292","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-africa","category-agribusiness","category-agricullture","category-crops","category-editors-pick","category-farming-tips","category-food","category-livestock","category-national","category-news","category-poultry","tag-wandile-sihlobos-anti-zimbabwe-sentiments-countered"],"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Wandile-Sihlobos-anti-Zimbabwe-sentiments-countered-150x150.jpg","medium":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Wandile-Sihlobos-anti-Zimbabwe-sentiments-countered-300x201.jpg","medium_large":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Wandile-Sihlobos-anti-Zimbabwe-sentiments-countered.jpg","large":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Wandile-Sihlobos-anti-Zimbabwe-sentiments-countered.jpg","1536x1536":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Wandile-Sihlobos-anti-Zimbabwe-sentiments-countered.jpg","2048x2048":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Wandile-Sihlobos-anti-Zimbabwe-sentiments-countered.jpg","post-thumbnail":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Wandile-Sihlobos-anti-Zimbabwe-sentiments-countered.jpg"},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"administrator","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a3d5ebfe727f13fb325bd400aaaf5e789d3e2e20898883d9ae8e3d3d42d58cef?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":"0","magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":"JOHANNESBURG – ZIMBABWEANS and senior academics have strongly rebuked South African agricultural economist Wandile Sihlobo, accusing him of persistent, xenophobic, and factually inaccurate attacks on Zimbabwe\u2019s agricultural resurgence. Sihlobo has repeatedly questioned Zimbabwe\u2019s historic reputation as \u201cAfrica\u2019s breadbasket,\u201d dismissing its achievements as overstated. At the core of his critique, Sihlobo stated: \u201cWe must stop this […]","magazineBlocksPostCategories":["Africa","Agribusiness","Agricullture","Crops","Editor's Pick","Farming Tips","Food","Livestock","National","News","Poultry"],"magazineBlocksPostViewCount":28,"magazineBlocksPostReadTime":3,"magazine_blocks_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Wandile-Sihlobos-anti-Zimbabwe-sentiments-countered.jpg",500,335,false],"medium":["https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Wandile-Sihlobos-anti-Zimbabwe-sentiments-countered-300x201.jpg",300,201,true],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Wandile-Sihlobos-anti-Zimbabwe-sentiments-countered-150x150.jpg",150,150,true]},"magazine_blocks_author":{"display_name":"administrator","author_link":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/?author=2"},"magazine_blocks_comment":0,"magazine_blocks_author_image":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a3d5ebfe727f13fb325bd400aaaf5e789d3e2e20898883d9ae8e3d3d42d58cef?s=96&d=mm&r=g","magazine_blocks_category":"Africa<\/a> Agribusiness<\/a> Agricullture<\/a> Crops<\/a> Editor's Pick<\/a> Farming Tips<\/a> Food<\/a> Livestock<\/a> National<\/a> News<\/a> Poultry<\/a>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1292","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1292"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1292\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1294,"href":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1292\/revisions\/1294"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1293"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1292"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1292"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1292"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}