Matabeleland food shortages. Robert Mugabe and Joshua Nkomo finally reconciled their political differences by late 1987. The roots of discord remained, however, and in some ways increased as Mugabe's rule became increasingly autocratic into the 21st century. In the early 1990s, a Land Acquisition Act was passed, calling for the Mugabe government to purchase mostly white-owned commercial farming land for redistribution to native Africans. Matabeleland has rich central plains, watered by tributaries of the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers, allowing it to sustain cattle and consistently produce large amounts of cotton and maize. But land grabbing, squatting, and repossessions of large white
HMS Zambesi (R66) Flotilla, based at Rothesay. Between 1953 and 1954 she was given a refit at Penarth, before being held at reserve at Cardiff until 1959. In 1959 "Zambesi" was placed on the Sale List and she was sold to Thos W Ward for breaking-up. On 12 February 1959 she arrived in tow at their yard at Briton Ferry, Wales. "Zambesi"s bell was presented to St Cuthbert's Church in Portsmouth in 1959, where it still survives. HMS Zambesi (R66) HMS "Zambesi" was a Z-class destroyer. She has been the only Royal warship to bear that name. She was launched on 21 December