White Commercial Farmers Hire Mercury Public Affairs to Press US on $3.5bn Compensation

Zimbabwe’s former white commercial farmers have hired US lobbying firm Mercury Public Affairs to press Washington for support on a delayed US$3.5bn land reform compensation deal (image source)

A group of former white commercial farmers in Zimbabwe has hired Washington-based lobbying firm Mercury Public Affairs to seek US political support for long-delayed compensation linked to the country’s land reform programme.

According to a filing under the US Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), Mercury Public Affairs agreed to represent the farmers’ compensation claims on a pro bono basis. The move signals a calculated effort to leverage the firm’s strong Republican and Trump-era connections, including partner Bryan Lanza, a former senior adviser to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign.

The lobbying request, dated December 2, was submitted by Dror Besserglik of Johannesburg-based OB Projects Management. It asks Mercury to engage officials within the current US administration as well as members of Congress to support payment to Zimbabwean farmers affected by farm expropriations.

At the centre of the dispute is a 2020 agreement in which the Zimbabwean government committed to pay US$3.5 billion to compensate former farm owners for improvements made on expropriated land, excluding the land itself. Progress has been slow: Treasury allocated just US$10 million in the 2026 national budget to cover compensation claims for approximately 740 farmers.

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Mercury’s involvement is complicated by its previous relationship with the Zimbabwean government. Between 2019 and 2021, the firm represented Harare in Washington as it sought the easing of long-standing US sanctions, receiving a monthly retainer. The shift from lobbying for the state to representing private claimants highlights the evolving and often overlapping interests surrounding Zimbabwe’s re-engagement efforts.

The current campaign also aligns with growing partisan debate in the United States around the treatment of white farmers in southern Africa. Several Republican lawmakers have promoted measures tying international financial support for Zimbabwe to the settlement of compensation claims. In September, US Representative Brian Mast introduced legislation aimed at blocking Zimbabwe’s access to new IMF and World Bank funding until compensation obligations are met.

The initiative is reportedly backed by the Property and Farm Compensation Association (Profca) and other regional farming bodies. However, the Commercial Farmers Union (CFU) has publicly distanced itself, stating that its name was included in filings in error and that it was neither consulted nor formally involved.

By taking the compensation dispute to Washington, the farmers have internationalised an issue that remains central to Zimbabwe’s debt resolution and re-engagement agenda. Increased US political pressure could accelerate negotiations over compensation payments, but it also risks complicating Harare’s diplomatic posture and relations with multilateral lenders, depending on how the government and regional stakeholders respond.