SW Radio Africa (London)
Alex Bell
27 February 2009
A wave of fresh farm invasions and arrests has forced many of Zimbabwe's remaining white farmers into hiding, to avoid the very real threats of arrest, harassment and violence.
In the past few weeks, farmers have come under siege in what is being described as a last-ditch effort by ZANU PF loyalists to complete the Robert Mugabe initiated land grab, which has already seen the white farming population cut to about 400 farmers.
The offensive against the farmers came just days before Morgan Tsvangirai was sworn in as Prime Minister earlier this month. Almost 80 farms have since been seized in clear violation of the unity deal between the MDC and ZANU PF, which calls for the return of the rule of law and also says that farmers should be encouraged to produce food.
Commercial Farmers Union President Trevor Gifford, on Friday called the fresh farms invasions a 'final assault' against the remaining white farmers and described a clear "planned agenda by a third force in the government that is hell-bent on destroying the unity deal." Gifford explained that, according to minutes of secret meetings seen by the union, Zimbabwe's Attorney General Johannes Tomana has instructed police and magistrates to fast track farm evictions across the country, in a clear and coordinated effort that is already well under way.
"These are senior ZANU PF members using their offices to ensure ethnic cleansing can take place before the Prime Minister is able to stabilise the country," Gifford said.
Tsvangirai on Wednesday ordered police to "bring the full weight of the law" down on the perpetrators of the farm invasions. But, on the same day, farmer Mike Campbell was ordered to leave his land, by the nephew of ZANU PF's spokesman, Nathan Shamuyarira. Although the threatened seizure has not yet happened, Campbell and his wife have both left the property to avoid an attack. Campbell is still frail after a brutal beating when he was abducted by invaders last year.
At the same time, farmer Paul Etheredge is behind bars in Chegutu after he was arrested, also on Wednesday, and invaders have reportedly taken over his Stockdale farm. Etheredge, along with Campbell and 77 other farmers, won a landmark farm test case that was taken to the SADC Tribunal in Windhoek last year, and the farm invasions are a blatant transgression of the protection supposedly offered by the Tribunal's ruling.
The CFU's president reiterated on Friday that the SADC ruling is being wilfully ignored, explaining that the Attorney General has instructed magistrates to ignore previous court orders protecting farmers and their land, and in particular to ignore the SADC ruling. More than 100 farmers have already been caught in the coordinated effort to seize the remaining farms, and reports of threats as well as arrests are piling up.
A Chiredzi farmer, who spoke to SW Radio Africa on condition of anonymity on Friday, has already left his farm. He said that most farmers in his area have gone into hiding for fear of arrest and prosecution. The farmer described the invasions as a 'witch-hunt' and explained the charges being brought against those farmers already arrested, carry jail terms of up to 6 months.
"Everyone is just trying to lie and low and see what happens, but we don't know how long we'll have to wait?" the farmer said.
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Note: it has come to this because we lost the March elections," he said.
One has to admire the LOYALTY shown to Mugabe. The man is an icon ! Yes, and we need to take ALL the land back.
We really need to take back (our land),any part we choose. (Period).Happy birthday Pres.,and PM. I love you Both.God bless Africa and America. Oweij Liebo,U.S.A.
leviboone, " We really need to take back ( our) land, any part of it ", you say with uncertainty peeking behind a white man's curtain. Why are you not in your own African land? Because your own black leaders treat you like crap with no rights and that is why you scurry like cockroaches to the West instead of improving your Africa. How nice would it be to return to Africa and find all the rights you enjoyed in the west also there.
Even if you take all the land back, it is not sure you will be able to make good use of it for the benefits of the majority of Zimbos! Mugabe's thugs will fight one another to ensure that they get the largest slice. But then, without agricultural workers, who are now exiled in large numbers to SA, Mugabe's thugs would only sit on the land and speculate.
Confused people like AK47, Hollowjaw, Kubatana6 and group are so vile and filled up with hatred that they let emotions carry their mind. Mugabe plays with their emotions like that of kids.
Zimbos who are dying of cholera need medicines, not land to revert to good health. Destitue Zimbos need two meals a day to ward off famine, not land!
Only fools and idiots can be led by their nose by Mugabe on the land question. It's a sad day for Zimbos since most of the land in question has already been confiscated and distributed to Mugabe's cronies.
Mugabe is very cunning not to spell out a land policy and steps required to fructify it. He can press the button each time he wants idiots to rallye behind him against any genuine move by MDCs to democratise further the institutions of the country.
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