Agmates

These photos and information were sent to us by Trevor Gifford the President of the Commercial farmers Union in Zimbabwe.

The story is told best by the Harare Tribune reporter Tererai Kamrimakwenda and is presented in his article below.

Warning - Graphic Photos. We have been sent worse photos of Zimbabwe Citizens, black & White after beatins, torture & killings - but they are too horrific to publish.

The life of a farmer in contemporary Zimbabwe

By Tererai Karimakwenda (swradioafrica)

On the same afternoon that Robert Mugabe picked up a bible and swore to serve the people of Zimbabwe for another 5 years, ZANU-PF thugs descended on a commercial farm in the Chegutu area near Harare (Location), savagely beat up three farmers and abducted them.

They were Ben Freeth, who along with his in-laws Mike and Angela Campbell are challenging the Zimbabwe government’s land policy, at the SADC Tribunal in Namibia.

Earlier that day the same gang had brutally assaulted another farmer in the area, Frank Trott on Twyford Farm. He is part of the group of farmers who joined in with the Campbell case in Namibia. There are 14 of them in the Chegutu area alone.

John Worsley Worswick of Justice for Agriculture said the beatings were severe and Campbell suffered a broken collar bone, broken fingers and serious concussion. His wife Angela has an arm broken in two places, while one of Freeth’s eyes is so badly damaged it is causing the doctors great concern.

The three were found around midnight, after being dumped by the gang. Worswick said they had been beaten for a prolonged period of time during which they were forced to sign papers, promising that they would withdraw the Campbell case from the courts in Windhoek.

Worswick said: “Now obviously it has no force or effect on the case because they were forced to sign under extreme duress.”

Worswick said Freeth and the Campbells were attacked and abducted by ZANU-PF thugs led by Gilbert Moyo, who is notorious in the area for his violent attacks on farms. He arrived at their Mt Carmel farm on Sunday, with an armed gang that took the three into the house and beat them before forcing them onto a truck.

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The Campbells’ son Daniel tried to rescue them at some point, but was forced to stand down after at least 40 shots were fired by the heavily armed gang. Moyo’s name has been provided to the police in connection with several other cases of assault in the Chegutu area, yet he has never been arrested or investigated.

The farmers were targeted specifically because of the SADC case. The attack came just a day after the SADC Observer Mission to the runoff election concluded that the atmosphere was not conducive to holding free and fair elections.

Several other farmers in Chegutu who attached their cases to Campbell’s in Windhoek were also targeted, despite the fact that the Tribunal issued an interim order last year, that said the Zimbabwe government would not evict them or interfere with their operations, until their case is heard.

According to Worswick, the government wants to take Campbell’s Mt. Carmel Farm and he has fought eviction through the courts. But the government passed new laws stipulating that the Zimbabwe courts could no longer hear land cases, effectively taking away the farmers’ rights to challenge the illegal acquisition of their properties. This is why Campbell took his case to the regional courts in Namibia with the hope that he would finally get justice there.

Mhlanga added that Zimbabwe is essentially the key to economic stability in the region, and voiced concerns that military intervention and a growing belief that civil war is imminent, will only further dissuade foreign investors in the region and in Africa as a whole.

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Have Your say! Are you outraged by events in Zimbabwe?

Agmate & Zimbabwe Ex - Pat Farmer Matt Kolbe has sent us this -

EVERYBODY KEEPS BANGING ON ABOUT HOW TERRIBLE COLONIALISM WAS ….. hmmmm.

Welcome to Independent Africa!

A picture is worth a thousand words. In this case much more.

The first two pictures were taken of The Grand Hotel in Beira, Mozambique (Location) in 1975 and then two pictures of exactly the same thing 32 years later in 2007.

“And when it’s time for leaving Mozambique,
To say goodbye to sand and sea,
You turn around to take a final peek
And you see why it’s so unique to be
Among the lovely people living free
Upon the beach of sunny Mozambique”

Bob Dylan

And after 32 years of ‘freedom’ in Africa.

Agmates:

Having never been to Mozambique - my image of it is set by the Bob Dylan Song ‘Mozambique’.

For all of you Dylan tragic’s (like me) here is a video of Dylan performing the song in 1976. It certainly looks like it could have been written and sang about staying at the Grand hotel.

“I like to spend some time in Mozambique
The sunny sky is aqua blue
And all the couples dancing cheek to cheek.
It’s very nice to stay a week or two.
And maybe fall in love, just me and you

There’s lots of pretty girls in Mozambique
And plenty time for good romance
And everybody likes to stop and speak
To give the special one you seek a chance
Or maybe say hello with just a glance.

Lying next to her by the ocean
Reaching out and touching her hand,
Whispering your secret emotion
Magic in a magical land.

And when it’s time for leaving Mozambique,
To say goodbye to sand and sea,
You turn around to take a final peek
And you see why it’s so unique to be
Among the lovely people living free
Upon the beach of sunny Mozambique”

Hhhmmm …….. Obviously written about Mozambique under Colonial rule. I wonder how Dylan would write the song today?
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Have your say!

Zimbabwe - Commercial Farmers Union President Trevor Gifford writes Update -2 (15/04/08):

Since 05/04/2008 we have had 134 farms affected by the new wave of farm invasions; of these farmers two were black farmers and the remainder were white.

One of the black farmers and the majority of white farmers have been able to return to their farms and continue farming; regrettably we can not say this for all as the remainder are facing a variety of difficult situations.

Around 30 farmers are still trying to get back to their farms and intimidation is still rife, some of those who are still on there farms are still facing repeated harassment and abuse despite police intervention every day since 05/04/2008.

In some cases now the police are reluctant to get involved as they indicate that the issue is now Political.

To me the most worrying development is the continued beatings of our farm labour and fact that they are being denied there rights of freedom of association as well as the right to gainful employment.

I have just had a phone call from my manager (16/04/2008) who has been unreachable since 08/04/2008; it turns out that he and two other senior members of my staff were beaten repeatedly for around 12 hours and then forced off the farm with all there belongings and severely intimidated and traumatized families.

Those people who did this are known and they are the war vets who took over the surrounding farms over the passed 8 years.

They have moved in to my managers house and have started killing my livestock at their whim for food to celebrate their victory.

My labourers are not able to work and are being re educated as they are being accused of voting the wrong way. My fear is that if a rerun is conducted these people will be too intimidated to follow their hearts.

In the same farming region which is situated around the village of Chipinge in the Provence of Manicaland we have had reports of more than 400 people in a similar position.

The situation is desperate and the population is too afraid and they do not know which way to turn!!

I would like to thank each and every one of you for your interest and support.

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Have Your Say!

This article is being read by Trevor Gifford and the White Farmers in Zimbabwe. Do you have a message of support that you’d like to send them?

Leave your message below or click on the Blue word Comments and leave your message.

Email received from White Zimbabwean Farmer under siege:

Below is an incredible email that from a white farming family in Zimbabwe who’s farm was being invaded. The email was forwarded onto me by an Agmate who is a Zimbabwean who was driven off his land and out of the country to Australia in 2000.

I have since been in phone contact with this family in Zimbabwe. It is a tragedy that this sort of thing can happen to fellow farmers no matter where they live in the world. It amazes me that the world leaders can sit by and watch this happen again.

5 Apr 2008 19:00:05 +0200

Subject: Last White farmers under siege, instigated by Mugabe

Dear Family and Friends,

Well never thought I would have to do this email do not know if it may be my last from our farm “Name Removed”.

At 3.30pm today a lorry load of so called Mugabe brain washed “war-vets” arrived at our gate to take over our
land, equipment and pedigree cattle. This crazy action is occurring in a country where there is very little food being produced!

It is now 6 pm and they have been singing their war songs at our gate for three hours, the atmosphere is violent and more and more of them have arrived.

We managed to get our daughter Andy and her young son “Little Bill” into town and for now it is just Bill and myself, plus our dogs remaining in the house on the farm.

They have said that our labour will not work tomorrow . They have demanded that Bill must kill them a sheep, which Bill has flatly refused to do, so no doubt they will simply kill one for themselves.

None of our paid labour will even attempt to come to work tomorrow either!

George Barry who lives south of us is also under siege at the same time as us, so this siege of the last remaining whites is an orchestrated plan. The Brysons and Dobbericks are in the same boat. They have already taken over (Name Removed) Guest Lodge.

Andy is at Bills sisters in Masvingo town and her husband Kevin is expected back from Bulawayo tonight.

Emma’s telephone no. is Zw code (Removed) ; Andy is on (Removed) Our Phone Landline is (Removed)
Cell Phone Nos. (Removed)

Please pass this email on to as many folk as you would like to , this illegal action must become “known” thru out the world .

If you know of anyone in the Media, please ensure that they become aware /are alerted to this evil tyrant’s actions to keep power at all costs.

We have to let the world know what is happening.

Well done to Zesa (telephone company). As they load shedded us and I phoned my friend in the Zesa Faults and he phoned Harare and they have switched us back on.

So for now please keep all of us in your prayers and we will send a follow up tomorrow if we are able.

Our love to you all.
(Name Removed) from (Name of Farm Removed).

End: The names have been changed to protect the identity of the Zimbabwe Farmers involved who are fearful of retribution. Names of places and telephone numbers have been removed or changed to protect those involved.
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Update: 10th April 2008

I phone the couple above “Bill & Jane” today. They told me that they were safe at the minute but were very fearful. They suggested that I contact Trevor Grifford the President of the Commercial Farmers Union (CFU) in capital of Zimbabwe Harare. I called Trevor and spoke at length to him.

He told me that it was a very delicate situation. Just last night (the 9th) there had been 2 farms that had been invaded and ransacked. He told me that as a result of the political standoff the country was virtually without a government. Trevor told me:

“He and fellow CFU staff has spent a frantic week trying to help fellow farmers cope with their invasions. At least 60 white farming families and 2 Black farming families had been driven from their land in seven areas. In one of the worst affected, Centenary, a prime tobacco-growing area north of Harare, 15 farms were invaded by gangs of war veterans. They were mostly far too young to have fought in the independence struggle but were armed with sticks and machetes and fueled with alcohol as they forced the owners to flee.

Earlier in the week a mob of 30 men wearing Zanu-PF T-shirts arrived at the gate of Grifford’s own farm, also at Chipinge, to take it over. Late that night he received a telephone call from a man calling himself “son of the soil” who told him that from now on they would be managing the farm and he was never to return.

Gifford is used to invasions having endured several before. He has seen his coffee, macada-mia and avocado plantations damaged or destroyed, so there was not much more left for the militants to take away last week. But he remained determined not to lose it all without a fight - the farm has been in the family since his great-grandfather, Alfred Samuel Gifford, founded it in 1894.

Trevor said “What Zimbabwe white farmers wanted was to live in peace and work their farms. There is more than enough good farming land here in Zimbabwe for everybody. We are just hoping for an African solution to an African problem”

He was very hopeful that an urgent meeting on Saturday (12th April) of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) would be able to formulate a regional solution to the worsening situation. See More of the story’s of farm invasions and violence against white farmers HERE

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Update 15th April - No2

Alongside the refusal of Zimbabwe’s neighbours to take a strong line at their emergency weekend summit, the judgment has effectively bought time for the violence to escalate. Read the Times online report HERE

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Update: 15th April 2008 - No 3

White Farmers in Zimbabwe are totally powerless. Some of the remaining white farmers are 6th generation Zimbabweans. They are being discriminated against and treated as 2nd class citizens. Here’s a summary of what has happen to them since 2000.

- 4,000 white-owned farms have been taken over since 2000

- 18 white farmers have been killed since the farm invasions began

- In 2007 one of the last remaining white farmers was strangled by intruders in what campaigners called a “political hit”

- An estimated 400 white farmers remain in Zimbabwe

- 44 per cent of land seized was being cultivated in 2005 and the remainder was lying fallow

- Maize production fell by 74 per cent between 1999 and 2004

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Have Your Say!

This article is being read by the White Farmers in Zimbabwe. Do you have a message of support that you’d like to send them?

Leave your message below or click on the Blue word Comments and leave your message.

USA Cattleman Joel Gill writes:

In Zimbabwe, Africa, you will find the magnificent Victoria Falls, at a height of 128m, that’s 420 ft.

During the months of September and December, people can swim as close as possible to the edge of the falls without falling over.

The location is known as the Devils Swimming Pool. It is approximately at the red circle in the photo below…The people can’t even be seen. Uggghhhh.

These falls are becoming well known amongst the radical tourist industry, when more and more people search for the ultimate experience.

Would you dare?

Have your say!

Would you dare?

Leave you comment below or click on the Blue word Comments and the reply box will appear.