"The Zimbabwe Situation" news page
National News - THE HERALD 31/7/00
Farmers call off proposed strike
CFU hopes to be granted audience with President soon
By Elton Dzikiti
COMMERCIAL farmers have called off a countrywide strike that had been scheduled to start today, but said individual members could join the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions-endorsed three-day stayaway from Wednesday.
The farmers had threatened the action in a bid to force the Government to put an end to the increasingly violent farm occupations, led by former freedom fighters.
"We are working tomorrow (today). There is no strike by commercial farmers . . . It is work as usual," said a Macheke farmer in a telephone interview yesterday.
He wished to remain unnamed although he said the decision to call off the first ever work stoppage by commercial farmers had been agreed upon by the majority of farmers.
He, however, said farming operations in the area were being drastically disrupted by war veterans, citing the case of one farmer at Vivalea Farm who was forced to move out of his property yesterday. He was allegedly threatened with death if he did not comply. Marondera police confirmed the incident and said investigations were underway.
Commercial Farmers’ Union president Mr Tim Henwood also confirmed that commercial farmers would not be downing their tools in protest as is widely "rumoured".
"There were a lot of rumours about the strike but the position is that commercial farmers are not striking tomorrow (today). The only strike we know of is the one starting on Wednesday," he said.
CFU represents about 4 500 white commercial farmers.
He, however, said the situation on most farms remained tense despite assurances by authorities that the violence would be stopped forthwith.
"The police are not doing enough. Violence and intimidation, particularly at Wedza and Marondera farms, continue," said Mr Henwood, adding that he met with the Minister of Lands and Agriculture, Dr Joseph Made, at the weekend to raise their concerns.
Position
"We made the position clear that we need law and order but there doesn’t seem to be any. We hope to see the President (Mugabe) soon," he said.
The CFU director, Mr David Hasluck, told Reuters that the farmers’ body had postponed its annual congress due tomorrow and Wednesday to early September to support the planned three-day national strike this week.
"We have had to postpone the congress from Tuesday and Wednesday to early September because of the three-day stayaway proposed by the ZCTU which the CFU is supporting because the re-establishment of the rule of law is very important," he said.
Acting ZCTU president Mr Isaac Matongo said the situation at the farms and in high-density areas, where the army has been harassing people, had necessitated the threatened mass action.
"Workers are being killed on farms while it has become dangerous to live in the high-density areas. If you go to the police they say they don’t have the power to stop the violence," Mr Matongo said in an interview yesterday.
"We are asking the Government to put back the rule of law. We don’t want this violence to continue any longer," he said.
Ms Noliwe Bamu, national chairperson of Women for Peace, Development and Empowerment platform, said dialogue was necessary in resolving the impasse.
"Are we forgetting about the last ZCTU strike and what it did to our economy? We don’t achieve much by stayaways but by sitting down to dialogue," she said.
She added that the recently appointed Cabinet needed to be given time to deal with the contentious issues.
Mr Kurauone Chihwayi, president of the Zimbabwe National Debate Association, said the threatened strike by the farmers would have dealt a major blow to efforts in rebuilding the economy.
He however said: "Government, commercial farmers and war veterans should negotiate in good faith. All violence must be stopped, with the Government making the first step of controlling the war veterans," he said.
The Minister of State for Information and Publicity, Professor Jonathan Moyo, at the weekend said the proposed action was ill-advised since Government was acting on the farmers’ fears through the police.
National News - THE HERALD 31/7/00
Government has taken stance against violence
Herald Reporter
THE Minister of Lands, Agriculture and Resettle-ment, Dr Joseph Made, last night said the Government had taken a stance against the violence and intimidation on the farms, adding that the proposed stayaway is uncalled for.
"We have said anyone who feels threatened must go to the police and consequently a number of farmers have been assisted," Dr Made said.
He said the Government was also aware that there were groups of people harbouring ulterior motives, masquerading as war veterans or land-hungry peasants.
"On the other hand, some reports made by the farmers are found not to be true. The Government position, nevertheless, is that no one should break the rules and laws of the country," he said, adding that the issue of stayaways was not discussed at a meeting held last Friday with the Commercial Farmers’ Union and other farmers’ unions.
"The issue of a strike was never raised. We talked about agriculture and productivity and it would be a big surprise if the action were to be carried out. But until we get to the day and hour, then your guess is as good as mine," said Dr Made.
The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions at the weekend endorsed a three-day general strike to protest against lawlessness, particularly at commercial farms.
l The National Land Acquisition and Redistri-bution Committee met in Harare yesterday and agreed, among other things, to expedite the process of identifying more farms for resettlement.
Cde George Charamba, the director of information in the President’s Office, said in a statement the process of identifying more farms from the commercial sector to reach the targeted hectarage for resettlement would be speeded up.
The preliminary list of farms for possible acquisition was also reviewed, he said.
"The meeting agreed that the whole programme needed to be well resourced and that the required budgetary and personnel support would have to come from all Government departments, including uniformed ones."
A decision that actual settlement start on the 804 farms already gazetted and for which acquisition orders have already been served was taken.
"The meeting expressed satisfaction that the whole land reform process was being managed and proceeding in accordance with the law, and that the various arms of Government are ready to embark on an immediate, fast-paced, countrywide implementation phase of the reform programme," Cde Charamba said.
The committee was convened to review progress made by the various arms of the Government involved in the land reform programme.
Farms meant for acquisition were gazetted on June 2.
On the basis and strength of the review, the committee intended to "work out a practical, well co-ordinated, multi-sectoral, fast paced way forward by way of the actual realisation of the land reform programme on the ground".
National News - THE HERALD 31/7/00
New township would need at least $500m for basic infrastructure
Municipal Reporter Edgar Moyo
WAR veterans allocating residential stands to desperate home-seekers at Haydon Farm, just outside Harare’s north-west boundary, will require at least $500 million to put in place basic infrastructure.
Land is not the problem for urban development. Any suitable farm land can easily be acquired for a minute fraction of the final cost of development. The problem is the huge sums needed to provide basic services.
When farm land is turned into a suburb, there is a complex process that must be gone through. The land has to be declared a township. This applies regardless of whether the future township is going to be a low-density, high-cost development or a low-cost housing scheme.
Borrowdale Brook is a township just as is Mbare hostels. In colonial days there were European townships and African townships but the word only ever caught on in popular speech for the African townships.
A township cannot be approved unless certain conditions are met. First, the actual concept must fit in with the master plan of Harare City. For Haydon Farm, this would mean the master plan for the whole of the Harare-Chitungwiza area and the surrounding rural wards.
If the master plan permits residential development in the area where the proposed township will be situated, then the next planning hurdle is the local plan. Some very small townships of a few score houses might fit easily into a local plan. More often, for major development, a new local plan must be drawn up, often these days by a private consultant, and approved by the relevant local authority.
This would detail the density of development, how major roads would cope with the scheme, where trunk sewers and water mains would lie, where water would come from and where sewage would go.
Schooling, health and recreation services would also have to be planned for.
On a small scheme, existing schools might serve, especially if the developer was prepared to pay for new buildings. On large schemes, totally new schools would be needed.
Surmounted
Once the planning hurdles have been surmounted, the developer has to actually put in the infrastructure: the roads, sewers and water mains. He has to indicate when schools will be built and any health facilities ready.
Only then can one start selling the stands. By this stage, the actual cost of a plot includes a huge sum for the development.
For a low-income scheme, the actual land may be less than 5 percent of the cost of a stand, although on a low-density scheme in a very desirable area, there is a premium on the land value that will bring its percentage up.
If Haydon Farm was to be developed, then the land portion of the final stand price would be very small.
Although Haydon is outside the City of Harare’s jurisdiction, proper services, such as roads, sewers and water, would have to be put in place before any development can take place on the property. Since Harare would be responsible for supplies of water, feeder roads and sewage management, its permission as well as that of Zvimba Rural District Council would be needed.
Town planners have condemned unplanned developments on the farms, saying they were going to cause serious problems in future.
It is not clear where the war veterans are going to get funds for service provision since they are only charging beneficiaries monthly subscription fees of $30.
It is feared that disease outbreaks would be experienced on the farm if nothing is done to stop the development or put in place proper services before any development takes place.
Engineers said a completely new sewage plant would have to be established because the sewerage system close to the farm is already overloaded.
The size of the stands is too small for wells and latrines to co-exist, and it is against planning regulations to use septic tanks on such small stands.
More money would also be needed to put in place water reservoirs and increase the diameter of the pipes that supply water to the area.
Diplomats in US lobby against damaging Act (23/7/00)
Sunday Mail Reporter
ZIMBABWEAN and Sadc diplomats accredited to the United States have started lobbying against the passing of the Zimbabwe Democracy Act aimed at crippling the ruling Zanu (PF) Government by the American Senate.
The United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations last month introduced the Zimbabwe Democracy Act of 2000 in response to alleged state-sponsored violence and intimidation in the run-up to the just-ended parliamentary election and the farm occupations by ex-combatants and other landless peasants.
The proposed Bill also gives conditions to be fulfilled upon which the United States President would be able to certify that bilateral aid to Zimbabwe could then be disbursed.
Although the proponents of the Bill argued that they were merely outlining guidelines for the future US President to follow when directing his foreign aid to Zimbabwe, diplomats in the United States said that some of the provisions suggested that US Executive Board members in international financial institutions such as the World Bank and the IMF should veto any loans to Zimbabwe.
"Thus this legislative instrument will affect not only US bilateral aid to Zimbabwe but also multilateral assistance, even though Zimbabwe pays dues to these institutions," said one diplomat.
Some of the conditions set by the Bill such as on land tenure system were tantamount to suggesting that the African laws on communal land must be changed to suit those in America, a situation that might result in Zimbabwe being made a colony or protectorate of the US.
The diplomats pointed out that the timing of the introduction of the Bill seemed to have been mischievously made just prior to the parliamentary election in order to influence the election results.
"There was also no point in the Senate introducing such a negative Bill before it assesses the election and how the election results would be received," said another diplomat.
It is understood that the Zimbabwe Embassy in Washington also challenged some key Senate staffers who drafted the Bill to prove the gravity of the political deterioration in Zimbabwe that distinguished it from all those who have held elections before and what necessitated the introduction of such measures.
"Examples of levels of violence and killings were made to those elections held in countries such as South Africa, India and Israel, which were far worse, but these nations were never legislated against by the United States Congress," said one insider.
It is reliably understood that lobbying was now being intensified in the House of Representatives that was expected to introduce a similar Bill.
A legal expert said for the Senate Bill to become law, the House of Representatives would have to approve the same Bill or if it is different then the two legislative bodies would then go into "conference" to iron the differences. Once the agreed version was adopted by both then the American President will sign it into law. Efforts had already started to lobby influential Congress Representatives especially those in the Congressional Black Caucus, as some of them had been supportive of the land redistribution exercise.
However, there were fears of a lack of cohesive efforts by black legislators to support African policy in the same magnitude demonstrated by other groups such as Jews, and Arabs.
Sadc Ambassadors accredited to the United States are understood to have met last month to map out ways by which the group might assist to lobby against the legislation against Zimbabwe and other negative sentiments by US authorities.
Sources said there was consensus that the implications of the Senate Bill would be far reaching and would ultimately be used as a precedent when other regional and developing nations went through the same process.
The ambassadors agreed to demonstrate their unequivocal solidarity with Zimbabwe and join the Zimbabwean Ambassador, whenever possible for briefings with Congress and Senate.
The American House of Representatives held a hearing on "Zimbabwe: Democracy on the Line" on June 13, 2000. However, unlike the introduction of the Bill in Senate, the hearing was a procedure normally done prior to an election on whatever the legislature wishes to collate information to guide the administration on foreign policy without legislation.
The witnesses were drawn from the State Department, National Democratic Institute and International Republic Institute as well as Chester Crocker (former US Assistant Secretary for African Affairs under President Reagan) and MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai (by tele-conferencing).
The timing of the hearing was also aimed at influencing the parliamentary election or at the minimum to set conditions that would point to irregularities and other shortcomings after the election.
According to USIS Wireless Service, the common perception that emerged from all witnesses was that violence persisted unabated and the ruling party seemed to be condoning the actions or at least was not taking enough steps to curtail the problems.
Chester Crocker was quoted by the service suggesting that there was need for closer liaison between the United States and Britain in order to coordinate effective ways of removing the ruling party from power.
Chester Crocker had made similar comments before and seemed eager to destabilise the situation in Zimbabwe. During his tenure as US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs the Reagan Administration reneged on former President Carter’s promise to assist in Zimbabwe’s land issue.
The former assistant secretary of state was also married to a former Rhodesian and sources said these ties made him a perpetual critique of the present Zimbabwe government.
However, the sources said it was made clear that the pillars of democracy did exist in the country as depicted by the presence of a very critical and therefore free press – more critical in most instances than the independent Press in the United States.
The judiciary was also given as another example of an independent democratic symbol with its constant clashes with the Executive.
Zimbabwe is faced with tyranny. We make a desperate plea for your help in any form.
We know that this clutters up your mail box but please bear with us. Kindly forward this, just a sample sample of what is happening right now!!
POST ELECTION VIOLENCE AND INTIMIDATION
Of major concern to the MDC and to the people of Zimbabwe, is the ongoing violence and intimidation throughout the country, in both urban and rural constituencies. Whereas the country had expected a return to normality and a serious attempt by the new government to reverse the damage that had been wrought by the Zanu PF election campaign, there has instead been a widening and an intensification of the systematic and state sponsored abrogation of civil rights in Zimbabwe.
Of gravest concern has been the deployment of the police force, backed by units of the army, within the high density suburbs of Harare and Kwekwe.
30 June. Unnamed MDC members wearing MDC t-shirts were assaulted by ZNA and received head injuries from batons and rifle butts in Harare, Mabvuku and Makwavarara SC. ZNA continued harrassing Mabvuku residents throughout the night.
29-30 June. In Kwekwe, Redcliff and Torwood, MDC supporters were assaulted in night clubs by ZNA and ZRP Support Unit.
29-30 June. Unnamed MDC memebers assaulted in night clubs in Chitungwiza.
1 July. Unnamed MDC members assaulted with rifle butts, sustaining head injuries in Harare, Mabvuku, Kamunhu SC, Moonlight Night Club.
1 July. Edwin Mushoriwa, the newly elected MP for Dzivaresekwa, and other MDC members were stopped by ZNA and assaulted with rifle butts causing head and facial injuries.
The incidences of violence, intimidation and retribution have been
widespread throughout the country and hereafter follows a list of
incidents reported by members of the MDC. This list should in no way be considered to be exhaustive but merely indicative of the harassment being experienced by the people of Zimbabwe.
Also included with this list is a chronicle of the events reported on
commercial farms throughout the country. Where, once again, the
harassment of Zimbabwean citizens attempting to conduct their lives and their businesses has intensified in the weeks after the election. This
chronicles the more pertinent events in a widespread invasion of farms,
that has seen a massive upsurge in the pegging of farms with the attendant threats and demands that owners close down, vacate, supply food, transport and accommodation. There is large-scale cutting of trees, snaring and theft of fencing and of livestock.
An analysis of pre-election violence on commercial farms details 7220
human rights violations against farm workers and farm owners. The direct cost of these invasions is estimated to be Z$ 430 000 000. These figures do not include events post election.
The country has begun to witness the closure of farming areas en bloc as a non-confrontational attempt to highlight the gravity of the situation in
these areas. The ZRP continues to react to the best of their ability,
but it is obvious that their mandate to police this crisis is compromised by
directives emanating from the office of the President of Zimbabwe.
The continued destabilization of the agro-economy, and a selective and
partisan application of the rule of law can only bring more stoppages nd
eventual failure of Zimbabwe society.
POST ELECTION VIOLENCE REGISTER
26 June, Gokwe. Chiefs threatened and intimidated Richard Muziwande. 26 June, Mufakose. Joseph Lekadala was terrorised by CIO and Zanu (PF) members. He was accused of raping Zanu (PF) members.
26 June, Mashonaland East. Zanu (PF) youth destroyed the village of
Godfrey Musiyiwa.
30 June, Manicaland. House of Easter Kamhara Nyamusiye was burnt down,and the property destroyed.
30 June, Makonki East. PTC removed the telephone from mugove mamunda, saying it was under the directive of Moven Mahachi.
30 June, Mash Central. The home of the father of Frank Kaseke was burnt. Property destroyed included two wooden shelves, plates and cups,cassette radio, four chairs and table, six blankets, clothes, and kitchen utensils.
30 June, Mufakose. The home of Muchineria Denga was stoned. Property destroyed includes: 27 window panes, raido, sewing machine, tea set, 19 water glasses, 6 china plates, 7 spice bottles, two floral pots and one black pot.
30 June, Mufakose. Luke Julias was assaulted, suffering bruises on his neck. 17 tins of cobra were destroyed.
JULY
UMP. Gladys Mahlavera, a teacher in UMP was an MDC polling agent during the eletions. Her District Officer saw her there, and told her she must be careful not to associate with MDC. Since that time, she has lost her job with the school, for her poiltical affiliations.
1 July, Murehwa South. The house of Musekiwa Matute was burnt down. The following property was destroyed: double bed, dressing table, wardrobe, clothes, blankets, tobacco chemicals, farm tools, trunk, file containing personal documents.
1 July, Murehwa. Clara Madya was assaulted. He broke his leg when trying to run away
3 July, Murehwa South. The home of Frangs Muronzi was burnt. Clothing, bed, and kitchen utensils were destroyed.
3 July, Murehwa South. The home of Madson Chivizhe was looted by Zanu(PF) youth. Blankets, plates, a stove, his radio, his VCR and $300 were stolen.
3 July, Chitungwiza (Harare). The car of B Nyonga-Nyonga was damaged. (front and rear safety windows)
3 July, Marondera. The house of D Chinyowa was stoned. 26 window panes and a door frame were broken.
4 July, Kuwadzana (Harare). Stanley Matete was assaulted. His right ankle was fractured and his cheek, face, and back were bruised.
4 July, Murehwa South. Fani Zazayi was assaulted with a blunt object. His back was injured and he lost one tooth.
5 July, Marondera. J Chiramba was intimidated, and her dress torn.
5 July, Macheke. Robert Bhito was fired from his job because he supported the MDC.
5 July, Macheke. F. Ngwende was assaulted and his house was looted. Assailants took his clothes and radio
5 July, Macheke. Irene Ndlovu was kidnapped and assaulted. Blankets, plates, and clothes were taken from her house
5 July, Marondera East. The property of T Chiwese was destroyed,
including the gate and the glass from three window panes.
5 July, Marondera East. Property of Veronica Muchabaiwa was destroyed, including 9 window panes, window handles, and a sofa.
6 July, Chivhu. Steven Mutandwa was arrested, accused of provoking the ruling president.
6 July, Nyandire. Willard Pindiriri was kidnapped and assaulted.
6 July, Murehwa South. The property of Simaon Kaseke was destroyed, including asbestos sheets, clothes, food stuffs, a radio, and five window panes.
6 July, Murehwa South. Canaan Mukoyi was assaulted. He incurred injuries and bruises on head, buttocks, and arms.
6 July, Murehwa South. Johanisi Mupwapwa was assaulted, suffering incuries on hand and shoulder.
7 July, Mabvuku. Justin Mutendadzamera (MDC MP Mabvuku) was arrested on charges of kidnapping, assault, and attempted murder.
8 July, Mutoko. Harinangoni Deyera was assaulted. He suffered bruises on his arms and buttocks, a swollen forehead and swollen left knee.
16 July, Mberengwa. Erasimus Matika was kidnapped, assaulted, and tortured all over his body.
17 July, Mbare. Asher Tahwa was kidnapped and assaulted. He suffered bruises on his eyelids, hands, backbone and legs.
17 July, Rusinga-Mutoko. Aaron Kapfushira was assaulted and his house was burnt. Property destroyed includes kitchen unit, wardrobe, coffee table, radio, TV, four chairs, and clothes.
17 July, Harare. Two members of the CIO attempted to abduct Due Mugota.
17 July, Mash Central. Syndicate Murove was struck by an iron bar on the head and all over his body. His left leg and ribs were broken.
17 July, Harare. Leonard Maodzwa was assaulted by the army and his rib was broken.
17 July, Mash East. Mbizvo Tendai Ruzvidzo was assaulted. $ 16 970 and his bicycle were stolen, and his entire family was threatened.
17 July, Mash East. Jesman Muzungu was beaten, and his family's clothing was stolen.
17 July, Mash East. Loyce Yesini was assaulted. His radio and his
family's clothing was stolen.
17 July, Mash East. The home of Gabeth Buvamombe was burnt, and his clothes were stolen.
17 July, Mash East. The shop of Paul Muchena was destroyed.
17 July, Mash East. Goods worth about $7 000 were stolen from the shop of Mathah Nyamupingidza
17 July, Mash East. 50 Bags of maize were stolen from Amin Matumbu. He was assaulted, and those around him were threatened and intimidated.
17 July, Mash East. Desire Madombwe was assaulted, and suffered a broken arm.
17 July, Mash East. Misheck Gumbangera was assaulted. 60 litres of
deisel and 1050kg bags of maize were stolen.
17 July, Mash East. Lot Nyagumbo was assaulted. His watch, T-shirt,
Jersey and $500 were stolen.
20 July, Harare. Garikai Chinyama attended the opening of Parliament in an MDC t-shirt. On his way through the crowd at Africa Unity Square, he was mobbed by Zanu (PF) supporters who began beating him. They tore his t-shirt. He was grabbed by two police men and shoved towards the MDC supporters. It was in this way that he got back to the MDC side of the crowd.
23 July, Buhera North. Daniel Machinga, MDC youth chairman for Buhera, was attending a band meeting in an MDC t-shirt. He was attacked by 10 known Zanu (PF) supporters and CIO members. He was beaten with fists, broken bottles, and iron bars and sticks. He suffered massive wounds on his head and ears, and had to get stitches. They jumped on his chest and back, and jumped on and beat his legs severly.
23 July, Dzivarasekwa (Harare). Itai Maguwu, a polling agent for the MDC MP Jusin Mutendadzamera, and a man of sober habits, was at home Sunday night He went for a brief walk and did not returned. His body was found 200 metres from his home on Wednesday night (26 July). He had been beaten to death. It was clear from the wounds that he had been beaten excessively with an iron bar. It is suspected that he was killed some distance from his home, and then his body dragged back, as the sounds of his screams would have alerted the residents in the area.
27 July, Bulawayo. Patrick Nabanyama, polling agent for David Coltart (MDC MP Bulawayo South) is still missing, after having been abducted from his home the the Nketa suburb of Bulawayo before the elections. Before he was abducted, Nabanyama received death threats.
POST ELECTION REGISTER OF FARM INVASIONS
26 JUNE 2000
Mwenezi - The District Administrator has been threatened for "not being on sides". He is not adhering to the war vets' demands, and they now want to hold a tribunal hearing to get the District Administrator fired.
MASH WEST
Two farmers received death threats over the weekend.
Norton - Shots have been fired most nights for the last week or ten ays
on Parklands. On another property there was a death threat to a farmer and on a further property a couple of pensioners were assaulted due to them not having voted.
Selous - Saturday night a lorry petrol bombed. .
Bulawayo - There has been a buildup of numbers on Boomerang. 30 war vets are demanding to move onto Springs Farm. There are already some 300 from a different group occupying the property. The company's warehouse in Bulawayo was burnt down on Friday, destroying timber and machinery to the value of $4 million.
27 JUNE 2000
Glendale - Some houses in the Glendale Township stoned.
Norton - two weaners were stabbed on Tilford Farm and War Vets from Norton town have employed youths/War Vets to make bricks for them on Tilford Farm to sell in a business venture. The Police at this stage are not very interested.
28 JUNE 2000
MASHONALAND CENTRAL
Enterprise and Bromley/Ruwa - 6 war vets went on to RSB Farm and
highjacked the taskforce vehicle with the driver.
Inyathi - Approximately 300 cattle were moved onto Goodwood Block over the weekend. On Friday the farm foreman was abducted by war vets and severely assaulted. His right leg was broken in two places and he may lose his eye. The Police response saved his life.
29 JUNE 2000
Victory Block - A farm mechanic was assaulted at a pungwe held at
Mutendamambo yesterday. Norton - Shots at night have been continuing on Parklands Farm.
30 JUNE 2000
Marondera North - On Dormavale a security guard was assaulted by the local war vets.
2 JULY 2000
Shamva - Tipperary had 200 invaders from the neighbouring village
confronted the farmer, demanding he sign documents to cede the farm to them.
Harare West/Nyabira - The owner of Reinham Farm received a threat from the officer-in-charge at Dzvaresekwa Police Station for being an MDC supporter.
This was shortly after the newly elected MDC MP for Dzvaresekwa had been assaulted.
4 JULY 2000
Victory Block - One farm worker was assaulted on Sunday. The farm
Manager's wife at Disi was harassed on her way home by four war vets. A group of 30 war vets at Disi threaten the farm owner. The war vets are to move their base from Mutenda Mambo to Kelston Park.
Shamva - The Manager at Glencairn was harrassed and assaulted while moving into the homestead on Sunday.
Please help!!
NATIONAL NEWS Monday 31 , July - THE DAILY NEWS
War vets resume land allocations
7/31/00 10:29:57 AM (GMT +2)
Staff Reporter
WAR veterans have resumed allocating land to residents of Harare and Chitungwiza on nearby farms where they have already disrupted operations.
When The Daily News team visited Retreat and Stoneridge farms next to Chitungwiza where war veterans were pegging and allocating stands to
homeseekers.
The fate of 200 farm workers on the properties is unclear.
“We do not know where to go since these people invaded the farm two weeks ago and disrupted all preparations for next season's tobacco crop,” said Edmund Tengende of Stoneridge Farm.
The farm, situated just outside St Mary's in Chitungwiza, is due to shutdown operations because of threats from the war veterans who have set up their base at the property. The farm owner, Lloyd Evans, was away.
The farm workers, however, said the war veterans, led by the chairman of the Harare province of the war veterans' association, Douglas Mahiya, and another war veteran identified as Mabhunu Muchapera, were threatening them.
NATIONAL NEWS Monday 31 , July - THE DAILY NEWS
State attacks farmers over mass stayaway
7/31/00 10:31:52 AM (GMT +2)
Staff Reporters
PRESIDENTIAL spokesman, George Charamba yesterday accused commercial farmers of initiating plans for a nationwide work stoppage and said the proposed action was meant to divert the government's focus on the land reform programme.
Charamba said: “The real authors of the stayaway are not the MDC or the
ZCTU. The real authors of this stayaway are the white commercial farmers.”
“The planned stayaways are an eloquent statement against land reforms and therefore against the rural and landless peasants,” he said.
Charamba said the government wanted workers to report for work during the three days that have been set aside for a nationwide work stoppage planned to start on Wednesday.
The Commercial Farmers' Union has not endorsed the stayaway and is waiting for the issue to be discussed during its annual congress to be held tomorrow.
Workers want the stayaway held in order to protest against the breakdown of the rule of law and a general state of lawlessness and anarchy prevailing in the country in support of commercial farmers. The violent farm invasions have left five farmers dead.
Charamba said the government would intervene in support of the workers if their employers decided to withhold their payment for the three days that have been proposed for a mass industrial action.
He said: “The government's view is that workers should report for work and then be turned away. If that happens then government will come out in strong support for the workers and will demand that they be paid their normal salaries and wages.”
Charamba accused the farmers of raising false distress calls in an attempt to portray a false picture about the farm occupations.
Farmers and industrialists, said Charamba, were now “simply telling the MDC that this is now payback time by way of supporting them in their struggle against land reforms.”
But the MDC secretary-general, Welshman Ncube, said the proposed mass action was authored by various stakeholders, who included the NCA, ZCTU, women's groups, human rights organisations and student movements.
“The message that came from all of them was that there had to be a stayaway and the decision for a mass stayaway was unanimously endorsed,” Ncube said.
He added: “It was agreed that if the country continued to slide into anarchy and lawlessness, then it would be necessary to do some form of mass action.
There is complete unanimity within the MDC and every executive committee member has been consulted. I personally contacted them and there was no single dissenting voice.”
Learnmore Jongwe, the MDC information and publicity secretary told The Daily News yesterday that his party had already made the decision to endorse the stayaway and urged all concerned Zimbabweans to participate in the fight for law and order.
“"The sole purpose of this stayaway is to force the government to perform its constitutional obligation of protecting every Zimbabwean against lawlessness and restore law and order,” said Jongwe.
THE FARMER - 31/7/00
31 July 2000
Not the right direction
IF ever there was a time to reassess Zimbabwe’s future, that time is surely now. There have been many critics of the cerebral approach to solving the country’s problems, particularly the problems on the farms. Something more robust was required, the critics complained. Well, something more robust was planned in the form of a stay-away and Zanu-PF’s reaction was swift… and a thousand fold more robust. If the ruling party takes the threatened 3000 farms, if weekend reports by the preposterous ZBC-TV are to be believed, proponents of confrontational direct action will realise that their stay-away has all the efficacy of a tooth pick against a large carnivore.
Of course, it’s unlikely that 3000 farms will be taken, because that would bankrupt Zimbabwe overnight. The truth is that this extraordinary announcement, reportedly made last weekend, was government’s response to the planned stay-away.
It has to be said that the stay-away was ill-considered in many ways. It was not leadership driven. Instead, when it became obvious that some sort of direct action was inevitable, leaders adopted the idea rather than be led by some amorphous grass roots movement. There is no real problem with confronting the ruling party over the lawlessness in Zimbabwe, nor over their disastrous plans for commercial agriculture. But there is a problem with confrontation that goes off half cocked – and that’s exactly what happened with the planned stay-away.
And then there’s the question of reality. Government’s arsenal is immense and being broke has little effect on its ability to wreak havoc. Civil society has a smaller arsenal, while agriculture and industry have only two weapons at their disposal: the law and the economy. Events over the last few months have shown that government has scant regard for the law – and that it really isn’t too fussed about the economy either. Fighting something that is this blasé about destroying everything to achieve its ends isn’t going to be easy.
Actually, it’s impossible.
But the path taken by leaders of agriculture (and to a lesser extent industry) can still bring about a sensible conclusion. If ever there was proof that the talkers were right and the critics wrong, this is it. Negotiation, and often secretive negotiation, was the only way this crisis was ever going to be brought to an end.
Well, that’s almost true because there is still one very important legal challenge that can be mounted and it has a reasonable chance of success – but it would have to be done swiftly. The constitutional and legislative amendments that were made to enable a land grab were made under emergency powers that President Mugabe awarded himself while there was no sitting parliament in Zimbabwe. Those powers must be ratified by a simple majority in parliament and it is almost certain that they will be ratified, possibly immediately.
There is, say legal experts, one way to stop that happening. The powers can be challenged through the Supreme Court after applying for an indictment to stop the ratification until the court rules on whether Mr Mugabe acted constitutionally. At best this could prevent the action going ahead, at worst it could delay the process and allow tempers to cool and common sense to re-establish itself.
But it would have to be done now, while Zimbabwe’s new parliament is sitting. Today wouldn’t be too soon, because the ratification is likely to be right at the top of Zanu-PF’s agenda.
Events since February have been more than a little depressing for Zimbabweans and most people thought there was nothing more that could be done to surprise them. Well, there was – and there may yet be more. That said, the utter fatuousness of the “3000 farm announcement” is about as staggeringly surprising as its possible to get. Surely government knows that it now stands poised to set Zimbabwe back 50 years, that the statement could drive away the very last cent of donor funding, that it will send the Bretton Woods’ organisations into an absolute frenzy of despair and anger?
Zimbabwe, in case no one noticed, is not an island. Neither is it self-sufficient in much more than self-delusion. The country could, one supposes, withdraw into the sort of ludicrous isolation North Korea and Myanmar have imposed on themselves, but to do that is to consign Zimbabwe to the trash can of history. Once there, it is almost impossible to get out because that is a truly friendless place.
That’s why there is so little sense in making announcements that are guaranteed to offend the IMF just weeks before they’re due to arrive in Zimbabwe. To say that the country needs the IMF is something of an understatement because the need is desperate if an economic meltdown is to be avoided. One possible solution which would alleviate if not end the divide between the Zimbabwean government and donors lies in retracting the 3000 farms statement. If that doesn’t happen, donors and investors (they’re out there somewhere, apparently) will simply conclude that the Zimbabwean government has lost its ability to reason and should be written off as a hopeless case.
One still has to believe that no one wants that, that the statement was an unfortunate over-reaction to the challenge of mass action from a party that has never experienced any real form of dissent. If that’s the case, well, fine, all it will take to solve the problem is a little maturity from both sides of the divide. If it isn’t the case, then the transformation to democracy will be an even rougher ride than Zanu-PF realises. They must realise, though, that no matter how rough they make it, democracy will be a reality and with it will come good governance. The one weapon no one has talked about is the biggest of them all – and that’s the will of the people.
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Headlines - the full articles have been included in this issue
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New minister meets farmers’ unions
SA, Zimbabwe in crisis talks
Government in hurry to move “war vets” off farms ahead of IMF team
Coffee sector faces collapse
New levy system for coffee growers
South Africa’s maize harvest under threat
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New minister meets farmers’ unions
ZIMBABWE’S three farming unions last week met with the new Minister of Lands and Agriculture, Dr Joseph Made, to raise their concerns about the situation in the country. The three include the Zimbabwe Farmers Union, Commercial Farmers Union and the Indigenous commercial Farmers Union. According to Commercial Farmers UnionPresident, Mr Tim Henwood, Dr Made was told that law and order must be restored as matter of urgency. “He knew it was important and he understands the urgency of it and the other unions were in agreement,” said Mr Henwood.
CFU Deputy Director (Commodities) Mr Richard Amyot said they told the minister about the fuel supply situation, particularly diesel and its importance to farming during this time of the year.
Mr Amyot said there were reports of large stocks at Beira but it was not clear whether the fuel was being pumped. He said they asked the minister to assist by helping farmers get fuel for production activities.
According to Amyot, another concern was the need to have accurate data on crop forecasting, markets and information that would enhance agricultural trade and production in all sub sectors. He said the minister told the farmers’ unions that his main areas of concern were food security, employment generation and economic growth.
Soon after meeting the farmers unions Dr Made was also meeting chief executives of parastatals to discuss the issue of money supply. Mr Amyot said they asked the minister to urgently consider money supply to the Cold Storage Company and Grain Marketing Board to enable trade of maize and beef.
Meanwhile, at the time of going to press, The Business Leaders Forum representing various business organizations, and the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) were holding separate meetings on Friday understood to have been centred on a planned national job stayaway to express outrage at the failure by government to restore the rule of law on commercial farms where hordes of so called war veterans and their supporters continued to terrorize farmers and their workers.
The CFU last week petitioned President Robert Mugabe to take immediate measures to halt the lawlessness on the farms or face court action. By Friday afternoon, Mr Mugabe had not responded to the petition.
However, unconfirmed reports said a directive had been issued for the farm invaders to vacate the farms by Sunday, a move said to have been aimed at forestalling the planned mass action.
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SA, Zimbabwe in crisis talks
Pretoria.
South Africa said it’s initiating talks with Zimbabwe to help resolve it’s neighbour’s economic crisis and may ask donor organizations such as the IMF to restore aid to the country.
South Africa’s finance minister, Trevor Manuel, and Minister of Trade and Industry, Alec Erwin will hold talks with their Zimbabwean counterparts immediately, said Joel Netshitenzhe, a government spokesman. Other South African ministers will have similar talks after a meeting of the Southern African Development Community ends on 7 August.
“Where possible there could be assistance from the South African government,’’ Netshitenzhe said, at a news conference. “In some instances there might be intervention by South Africa in regard to multilateral institutions like the IMF.’’
Zimbabwe is in the midst of its worst economic crisis in more than 20 years with fuel shortages for the past eight months, inflation near a record and foreign currency reserves sufficient for only three weeks of imports.
The IMF and other international donor organizations have suspended aid because of excessive government spending.
Other South African ministers expected to talk to their Zimbabwean counterparts include minerals and energy minister, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, foreign affairs minister, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, and agriculture minister, Thoko Didiza.
“Issues pertaining to energy and fuel in particular and questions of foreign currency will be addressed,’’ said Netshitenzhe, adding that South African companies could also aid Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe held parliamentary elections last month, which though judged not free and fair by a European Union observer team, saw the strongest ever showing by an opposition party, with the Movement for Democratic Change winning 57 out of 120 seats.
The new cabinet is made up entirely of members of the ruling Zanu PF party, or in some cases people appointed by with Simba Makoni, former secretary general of SADC, appointed as the new finance minister.
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Government in hurry to move “war vets” off farms ahead of IMF team
THE scheduled arrival of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) at the end of this month will put pressure on President Mugabe’s government to speed up the eviction of “war vets” from farms they have occupied illegally since February, as it battles regain international support to rekindle Zimbabwe’s the ailing economy.
Addressing Mashonaland East farmers at their annual general meeting in Enterprise last week, economist Eric Bloch said Mr Mugabe realized that there was need to regain the backing of the international community in the bid to revive the economy that his ruling Zanu PF party has ruined. He said the results of the just ended elections had shown that their days in power are numbered if the economy does not improve.
Zanu PF panicked following its defeat in the referendum and dispatched “war veterans” to invade and terrorise farmers and their workers. Now they have lost control of them.
It is expected that the need to make a good impression to the IMF, would force the government to act decisively to end the current anarchy that it had unleashed on the farms, as it was fully aware that the IMF would not tolerate such lawlessness.
Mr Bloch said the IMF would be coming to audit the government’s past performance, help to restructure the economic recovery programme and to assess general conditions. He said the IMF board would meet in October to look at the report from the IMF team to Zimbabwe, which would be used as the basis to decide whether to resume funding. For this to happen the most important thing was to restore the rule of law.
The resumption of the IMF support to Zimbabwe is said to be the key to unlock the doors of financial support from other donors. The new Minister of Industry and International Trade, Nkosana Moyo recently reiterated the need to have the support of international financiers and said he had made that clear to Mr Mugabe.
Bloch predicted that the war vets would be moved by August 19 as the government prepares for the arrival of the IMF delegation that would be in Zimbabwe for five weeks.
He said Zanu PF was still determined to stay in power and the key to that was to impress people through improved economic performance.
“The President and Zanu PF know that if the they don’t do it then they have no future. If they don’t they know they are finished,” he said. However, said Mr Bloch, Mr Mugabe would try to bring economic recovery without losing face. He expressed confidence that the economy would recover but it would be a painful road. He said inflation would go up mainly due to electricity and fuel costs. Mr Bloch predicted 70% inflation by September and would reach 80% before it starts going down.
Subject to reasonable climatic conditions, he said, by the end of 2001 inflation would reach 30% and again subject to climatic conditions it would get to 10% by the end of 2002. He feared that in the event of a drought, the economic recovery programme might be disrupted.
Commenting on the shut down by farmers to protest against illegal farm occupations by “War vets” and police inaction, Bloch said over the past few months the CFU had tried its best to bring these to an end but warned that the shut down could be misinterpreted against farmers. He said the CFU did not have good public relations (PR) and this could mean their action might backfire. “It has tried its best but the PR is not good enough,” he said.
He said the message should go across loud and clear that the shut down is meant to protect lives and not to damage the economy. “That way it would be successful,” said Bloch. He said if it is seen as trying to embarrass government and damage the economy, government would react and the shut down would not be successful.
Speaking at the same occasion, Mashonaland East regional chairman, Mr Guy Watson-Smith also expressed confidence that the current problems were a passing phase and that things would get better with time and resilience. He encouraged farmers to remain united and not to give up.
Mr Watson-Smith said devastation had been wreaked on the farming economy by events and politics of the last few months. “We can not yet begin to calculate and not everyone is going to recover,” he said.
Explaining why, Watson-Smith said, “There is little money available and the cost of borrowing that little there is is unsustainable. Banks are understandably without much compassion and have serious liquidity problems of their own. Their pressure on the farmers is increasing daily.”
Mr Watson Smith said the prices of inputs both seasonal and capital, were being calculated on the basis of an exchange rate of US$1 to Z$60 to farmers whereas there were forced to sell their products at US$1 to Z$38. He said it was certain that there was profiteering taking place at the expense of farmers by some of the suppliers of inputs.
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Coffee sector faces collapse
LIKE many other agricultural commodities, there is little chance of survival for coffee production if the Zimbabwe government remains intransigent on the question of devaluation of the local currency, the Coffee Producers’ Association (CGA) chairman, Mr Jeremy Brown has said.
Addressing the CGA annual general meeting recently, Mr Brown said the 1999/2000 season had been the most difficult, and was made worse by declining prices over the last four years. This decline was due to world over-supply.
However an increase in coffee production was anticipated and everyone was urged to continue growing the crop. It is estimated that currently some 200 farmers have about 9,200 hectares planted. Producers were told that they should try and get a yield of two to 2.5 tonnes per hectare and in total Zimbabwe should aim for an annual production of 30-40,000 tonnes.
The meeting noted that the year under review had been a very bad one with Cyclone Eline and the land issue. It was emphasised that coffee growers must produce top class coffee that is dried and packed properly. Some growers from the Chipinge area, east of the country, said they had not been affected by the current land invasions by so called war veterans and understood that the invaders had been instructed to leave their tea and coffee plantations alone.
But those from the northern districts, disagreed saying the invasions had adversely affected them. Other farmers said that it could be that the farms dealing solely in tea or coffee only had their plantations and therefore had no suitable arable land for occupation, while those in mixed farming offered a more inviting prospect to the “land-hungry” masses.
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New levy system for coffee growers
The Coffee Growers Association is to introduce a new levy system based on actual coffee produced in addition to the normal subscriptions to the association.
The idea presented as one of the key proposals at the association’s recent annual general meeting was welcomed as “an important new strategy.” In effect, this means a coffee grower will be required to pay a further levy for the hectarage utilized for coffee. As in the past, this would be split up into three distinct sectors – the “large commercial farmers”, the “small commercial farmers” and the “small-scale farmers”.
This would mean substantial increases in some areas – for instance in the “large commercial sector”, However, this would be offset by the new levy system – whereas before for the large commercial farmer the rate was $900/tonne, it would now be reduced to $280/tonne, but added to this will be the new hectarage levy of $250/hectare.
So for a farmer who produced 800 tonnes on 400 hectares he would, at the old rate, be charged $724,000.00 ($4,000.00 subscription plus $720.000.00 tonnage levy), which equates to $905/tonne, while at the new rates he would pay $339,000.00 ($15,000.00 subscription plus $1000,000 hectarage levy plus $224,000.00 tonnage levy) or $423.75/tonne. So in effect this would mean a saving of $381.000.00.
Similarly a small commercial farmer, producing say 8 tonnes on 6 hectares would save $346.00, paying $4740.00 ($592.50/tonne) as against a previous $8200.00 ($1025/tonne).
Small-scale farmers, producing say 1 tonne on 5 hectares would now pay $605.00 compared to a previous $1100.00. A reason given for introducing the hectarage levy was that, should the industry in this country suffer from a natural disaster, then the association would still remain viable and would thus be able to carry on to assist and advise members where necessary.
There were objections from some members who pointed out that coffee bushes only started producing beans at the end of the second or in the third year, so for the non-producing new members this meant that they would be paying out subscriptions and hectarage levies before they start receiving income from their crop.
But Mr Brown said such members would have all the expertise, advice and the results of years of research at their disposal and this would benefit them enormously, and they would be unlikely to make the same costly mistakes that many older members had encountered before these services were available.
During the meeting disapproval was expressed at the apparently dis-proportionate subscription the association paid for affiliation to the International Coffee Organisation, budgeted for this coming year at over $500 000. It was agreed that this was “very heavy” considering the size of the local association.
However, discussions would take place this month (August) with a view to amalgamation with surrounding coffee-producing countries, such as Zambia and Malawi, which could result in a sharing of the subscription costs.
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South Africa’s maize harvest under threat
Johannesburg
South Africa’s maize harvest, set to be the biggest in six years, is under threat.
Diplodia, a disease known in layman’s terms as ear rot, is likely to slash the grade of at least half of the 9.6 million metric ton crop and could limit the amount of corn South Africa, reckoned to be the world’s fourth-biggest exporter, has for shipment to other countries.
According to estimates based on the 36% of the crop delivered so far Johannesburg-based RMD Financial Services calculates that only 49 % of the maize crop will be classified as first grade compared to a normal average of over 90%.
The rest, calculated on more than 7% of the kernels being malformed or rotten, will be of lower grades and farmers could struggle to find a market.
The incidence of the disease is likely to be the worst since 1986, when only 46% of the crop was classified of first grade, and unless action is taken soon the level of contagion could be even worse next year.
In 1987 the spread of the disease was contained to the Eastern Transvaal but its incidence was “significantly higher” than 46% according to Adriaan Kotze, an RMD analyst. The lower than expected grade of the crop is likely to trap much of South Africa’s surplus maize in the country, further depressing prices on the South African Futures Exchange.
White maize is currently trading at about 522 rand a ton on Safex, with its price having fallen by more than a third so far this year, while yellow maize is trading at 516 rand a ton.
Sunday, July 30, 2000 9:45 AM
Subject: Zimbabwe this Week
Its nearly impossible to tell who started the call for the National Strike, but all week it has gained momentum ending on Friday and Saturday with the ZCTU (Labour Unions) and the MDC leadership meeting to agree on supporting the action. As Gibson said on Saturday this is not about the land invasions – this is about the restoration of the rule of law in our society. People are fed up with being harassed; beaten and threatened by various elements that only have one thing in common; they are thugs working for Zanu PF and are engaged in an illegal asset grab on a massive scale and want to perpetuate the rule of Zanu PF.
Lets look at all the different ways in which the rule of law has been subverted in this country in the past 5 months: -
The whole land grab exercise in the guise of "land reform" is illegal. It ignores the right to private property and is indiscriminate in its application – affecting all land owners in the farming districts even in cases where the investment has been after independence and conducted after certificates of "no interest" had been secured from government. Less well known but equally threatening are threats to take commercial and industrial and even mining properties over by force. This has happened but on a much smaller scale than in the agricultural sector.
Then there are the associated threats and violence against the individuals who live and work on these commercial and farm properties. This has involved murders, rape, beatings and verbal abuse on a huge scale. Literally thousands have been the targets of these acts carried out by a variety of individuals and groups including elements of state security agencies, the army, the police and Zanu PF officials as well as a small but vociferous group of War Veterans and unemployed thugs employed to reinforce the effort. In many cases the identity of these perpetrators are well known but in most cases they remain at large and the Police are not attempting to either apprehend or to prosecute the individuals involved.
Incredibly, state agencies such as hospitals and clinics are refusing to treat many of those caught up in the violence who in the main are being treated in private facilities at great cost to themselves and the agencies who are trying to help (such as Amani Trust). In addition the Police, who have such a proud tradition and reputation, have been instructed not to interfere when these acts are being perpetrated on a "political" basis. When violence, rape and murder become "political acts" what does that say about the activity itself?
The state is using public resources to support Zanu PF activity on a huge scale – the two French built helicopters that Mugabe uses to fly around the country each cost over US$30 million. In our money that is about one third of the total cost of our annual health budget. They are very expensive to maintain and operate and yet the President uses them for party political activity on a daily basis. Ministers, who should have stepped down when they ceased to be Ministers, are still using their cars and other facilities – months after the event. Now we learn they are to be allowed to buy their luxury cars at prices, which represent about 10 per cent of their market value.
The state budget is completely out of control. The present constitution lays down very strict criteria for state borrowings and for state expenditure. These are all being ignored and worse. The expenditures being incurred on the Congo are all illegal and this month (August) the authorized limits of government expenditure will be exhausted. Which Ministries are over their authorized budgets is not known but it is clear that the Ministry of defense is the worst offender. The government is using an illegal overdraft at the Reserve Bank and most of its domestic borrowing in recent months have been illegal. These are constitutional violations – not simple violations of state regulations.
The government is paying allowances to a variety of people including Chiefs and Headmen plus the War Veterans – all of which are unauthorized and illegal. How much money has been illegally misappropriated to support the illegal occupation of farms is not possible to calculate but look at the numbers – it must be huge and includes the illegal use of government transport and both cash and subsistence allowances to the gangs of thugs and squatters on the farms.
Certainly the Zanu PF party does not have this kind of money and we must assume therefore that this is further illegal government expenditure.
Then there are the decisions of our Courts, which are being ignored by the Attorney General and the Police and remain unexecuted. This is a direct violation of the Constitution and in most countries would be regarded as a very serious dereliction of the duties of the State. There are very real fears that orders for the arrest and detention of criminal offenders will be ignored by state agencies responsible for carrying out the orders of the Courts. This violates every principle on which a modern State is founded and sends the wrong signal to all citizens and to investors world wide. If citizens cannot expect impartial protection from the Courts against threats and actions against their legal and constitutional rights, then what? Its back to the laws of the Jungle.
Then there is the issue of threats made against the lives and property of individuals who are simply exercising their rights to express a view different to those of the Zanu PF or the government. This starts with the President issuing threats against the lives of his political opponents in public – in fact this was done at events attended by members of the diplomatic community. This is further exacerbated by public threats by Ministers and Governors of Provinces and other "dignitaries" who are as guilty. These range from the Minister of State Security, to the Minister of Home Affairs, the Minister of "Justice, Legal; and Parliamentary Affairs" and the new Governor of Matebeleland North. It then extends to the new Member of Parliament for Kariba who not only threatened his opponents but also had two killed and displayed one of their bodies in public. The less public threats against lawyers and others who are representing cases against the government. It takes courage to stand up against a senior Minister who is known to have used violence in the past. As the President has said himself "we have degrees in violence".
And so we go to the only strategy we have against such tyranny – the withdrawal of our labour and effort. We will stay at home or go out somewhere and contemplate what we are going to do next. What do we do in the face of tyranny and the total disregard for the rule of law and the rights of the individual under these circumstances? If you are a man of violence its easy – but if not, the choices are much tougher. We in the MDC have reaffirmed our commitment to finding a democratic and peaceful solution to our problems despite the provocation. We will support our Courts and their courageous officers, we will use our minds and our simple tools and commitment to our country to defeat this passing threat to all that we hold dear.
Eddie Cross
30th July 2000
Date: Saturday, July 29, 2000 4:45 PM
Subject: Loaves and
fishes
Dear family and friends
Where do I start this week!
On a national level the situation on the farms
has got even worse with
yet more evictions, burnings, assaults and
intimidation. One farmer was
beaten to death and killed in what looks like
a burglary and another,
unarmed and alone, set upon by 40 men at his own
gate who attacked him
from behind. War veterans who can now only be called
common criminals and
clearly the dregs of society have destroyed tobacco
seed beds, erected
their huts in the middle of ripening fields of wheat,
pulled up
irrigation lines and have generally gone completely off the rails
and on
the rampage. A number of farming districts have shut up shop and
gone on
strike in an attempt to draw the attention of the country to
the
continuing refusal of the police to do what we pay them for. This
action
has gained momentum and by mid-week farmers countrywide agreed
(initially
without the open approval or blessing of our union who refuse
to be seen as
the ringleaders) and we are all shutting up completely on
Monday. For three
days we will not be sending any produce to markets,
milk, meat, eggs,
vegies, fruit, tobacco, flowers etc. Our workers, on
full pay, will stay
at home as will we. The Trade Unions have called for
a similiar national
shutdown and declared that no one will work on Wed,
Thurs, Fri and the
combined effect of an entire week of no business may
at last have the
effect of telling our government that now it is enough.
That if these
people are not removed from our lands and if we are not
allowed to get on
with business of growing food, then so be it and that
will be the end of
Zimbabwe. All farmers but particularly those of us
with these people always
on our properties, have completely had enough.
We cannot carry on for
another day like this; we are mentally broken, on
the very edge of
financial ruin and more than ready to throw in the towel
and push off -
undoubtedly what the veterans want and now it remains to
be seen if this is
what the other 12 and half millon Zimbabweans also
want. By the end of next
week Herr Hitler will have to put some of his
acclaimed strong religious
beliefs to work and re-enact the loaves and
fishes - because we've had
enough. (I would just love to be a fly on the
wall when parliament sits
this week, methinks the man might be in for
quite a hard time!)
On the home front N. and I have had a
dreadful week with each of us trying
to pick the other up from the depths
of depression - and failing dismally.
Last Sunday afternoon they gathered
at our gate, hoisted the flag and
formed the Watershed Road Land
Acquisition committee. They elected a chair,
secretary and treasurer;
swore in members and each was required to pay $2
to belong to same. All
newly sworn in members were told by yet another war
vet to claim this as
his patch, that the shacks and huts should be made
more permanent and
tilling of the land should commence. There was some
disagreement as to
when this would happen so they disbanded and agreed to
meet on another
day. On Monday Edward, not to be undermined, sent us a
message telling us
to open all the fences as all the people he had sold
plots to would be
moving in with their cows, goats, chickens, children,
pots pans, blankets
& belongings.
By Tuesday morning I needed tranquillizers but instead
headed straight to
Marondera Police Station. Unfortunately the really
good MIC Rural has been
sent on urgent leave (probably because he was the
only one trying to do his
job) & hasn't yet been replaced so we had
to settle with a Sergeant. He
dutifully wrote down everything including
the fact that we are not
designated, not on the list and have never been
approached by gvt to give
up our property. Then he went off to discuss it
with his superiors and we
waited, and waited and waited. Eventually he
came back and said all the
right things, how sorry he was, how terrible
it all is, how he's only
human, how dreadful this was for the country -
actually leant over the
counter, looked into my eyes and patted my arm.
BUT, "we are very sorry we
have not yet had a directive from the
superiors." Back to square one.
Wednesday the people gathered, about 80
of them, it was a bitterly cold day
with a howling wind and I had wrapped
another half dozen layers of rusty
barbed wire around our gate into the
field. They say down outside the gate,
had another meeting which lasted
about three hours and then drifted off.
Thursday they were back, cut the
wire and plonked themselves down in the
field for yet another meeting -
what on earth are they finding to talk
about at all these
meetings?
Friday N. and I went to town and sat in a queue for diesel. We
got home to
a letter from yet another bunch of war vets - not Edwards
lot, not Netty's
lot, not Satan's lot - another completely new bunch. Ten
of them had
climbed through the fence, surveyed the property, decided
that the area
from our little dam downwards was suitable and claimed it.
The letter said:
"We have decided to come and share the land with you. We
are not taking
almost everything. Thank you. War Veterans Henry Mugere,
Francisca Muneta
and G Kokwana."
Saturday an elderly man
was busy doing work on "his hut" on "his plot" in
the field above our
dairy. Edward was in the store, absolutely roaring dunk
and recruiting
more people to come and secure their places on our farm
tomorrow. I would
have thought the whole place was fully, fully subscribed
by now but said
nothing, ignored him.
N. and I have had enough and this week
started looking at properties in
Marondera as unless there is a miracle
this coming week, we will simply
throw our hands in, sell the remaining
cattle and sheep and walk out. The
situation is completely out of
control, farming is untenable and we are
financially
finished.
I leave you with that totally depressing thought, until
next week thanks
everyone who's kept trying to cheer us up during this
awful week.
C.
Z I M N E W S
31 July 2000
In today's issue :
Mugabe goes for broke
Cards and whistles
MDC official murdered
Rein in vets - or else
Opposition unites
Mugabe on ropes?
Tusk force audit
From The Guardian (UK), 31 July
Mugabe steps up farm seizures
Harare - The Zimbabwean government announced last night that it will step up its land seizures to take possession of 3,000 white-owned farms immediately, a move that will add to the country's growing tensions. President Robert Mugabe is raising the stakes by directing his government to seize such a large number of farms so quickly. Three thousand farms represent three-quarters of the country's 4,200 large-scale commercial farms that are mostly owned by whites. In recent weeks the Mugabe government has taken legal steps to confiscate 804 farms, but last night it stated that a new, larger list of 3,000 farms would be published.
Although Mr Mugabe and other top officials said last month that poor blacks would be immediately resettled on white-owned farms, that has not yet happened. More than 1,400 farms are currently illegally occupied by veterans of the war against Rhodesian rule and other supporters of Mr Mugabe. In the past two weeks the squatters have increased their death threats, violence and thefts against white farmers and their labour. Mr Mugabe's order that police should take no action against the farm invaders has promoted a breakdown of the rule of law.
Mr Mugabe's new threat of massive land seizures is a response to the three-day anti-government national strike that is to take place from Wednesday to Friday. The strike was initiated by a group of white farmers to protest against the lack of law and order in the country. The strike has received crucial backing from the ZCTU and the opposition party the MDC. All commercial and industrial activity is expected to shut down. With its announcement of increased land seizures, the Mugabe government indicated last night that it will hit out at the coalition of forces opposed to it. "We have reached a point where enough is enough," said Jonathan Moyo, the new minister of information, last night. "The MDC and the ZCTU have become the unacceptable face of disorder in this country."
From The Times (UK), 31 July
3,000 white farms 'will be seized'
HARARE –A total 3,000 of Zimbabwe's 5,000 white-owned farms will be seized soon, one of the country's Cabinet ministers announced last night. Ignatius Chombo, the Local Government Minister, was quoted on state television as saying that the farms would be confiscated to ensure that black settlers would be on the land before the start of the next rainy season in four months' time. The statement stunned farm union officials, however. "I cannot believe that such an outrageous statement would be official government policy," David Hasluck, director of the CFU, said.
The appropriation at once of more than 60 per cent of white-owned farms would have a devastating effect on the country's already crippled economy. Hundreds of thousands of farmworkers would be thrown out of work and agricultural production would collapse, leading to severe food shortages, economists have said. The announcement is seen as a reflection of the chaos within President Mugabe's ruling Zanu (PF) Party which this week has to deal with a three-day countrywide shutdown called by the national labour movement to force the Government to restore law and order on the country's commercial farms and to remove soldiers from urban townships.
If that were not enough, the regime is also having to cope with the rise of a less dramatic, but still highly effective, form of opposition, which has captured the imagination of Zimbabwe's football-mad, militant urban populace. It is red, costs almost nothing, fits in your shirt pocket and can be used to get rid of dictators responsible for foul deeds. At appropriate moments, such as the appearance of President Mugabe's 24-vehicle motorcade, you whip out the little plastic rectangle and brandish it as the armour-plated presidential Mercedes-Benz flashing past. It tells the 76-year-old autocrat that he has been red-carded, and it is time to get off the field he has dominated for the past 20 years.
This impertinent piece of symbolism has caught on with those who voted against Mr Mugabe's Zanu (PF) Party in last month's parliamentary elections. In Masvingo, about 180 miles south of Harare, I remarked to a petrol attendant, William Mugari, that the town had voted against Zanu (PF). "We gave them the double red card," he said with a huge grin. When Mr Mugabe stepped out of the ceremonial 1936 Bentley ten days ago to open parliament, he was greeted by thousands of red cards flashed at him by MDC opposition supporters. When the anthem was played three weeks ago before the start of the ill-fated football match between Zimbabwe and South Africa, the packed terraces of the 65,000-capacity national stadium twinkled with red cards.
The first million, cut out of a thin sheet of shiny plastic and the same dimensions as the original wielded by football referees, are in such demand that the MDC is having three million more produced. The device grew out of the referendum in February on a draft of a new national constitution, manipulated by Zanu (PF). It was rejected outright and township wags said that they had "given Mugabe the yellow card". MDC campaign workers gave it its logical extension in their call to show him the red card in the parliamentary elections and send him off. Since the cards first appeared at the final campaign rally on June 18 of the MDC leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, they have got up the noses of Zanu (PF) leaders. Topper Whitehead, the MDC co-ordinator, says that along with three million red cards soon to be delivered will be a million whistles, to signify the end of the game for Zanu (PF).
Five weeks after the elections, it is still unwise to be found with a red card in rural areas where pro-Mugabe thugs maintain a rule of fear. Equally risky is the MDC's open-hand salute that says the greeter comes in friendship and without weapons, in contrast to the clenched fist of Zanu (PF) that threatens violence. On Friday the CFU reported that a farm guard was badly injured by so-called guerrilla war veterans "for making MDC gestures".
From The Daily Telegraph (UK), 31 July
MDC election agent killed in Zimbabwe
AN official of Zimbabwe's main opposition party has been stabbed to death. Itayi Maguwu was the MDC's election agent in Harare's Dzivarasekwa constituency. His mutilated body was found near his home. President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF party waged a terror campaign against the MDC before the parliamentary election last month.
From The Star (SA), 30 July
Rein in those vets - or else, warn strikers
Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe faces his toughest political challenge this week: get the war veterans off the commercial farms and the troops out of the townships or the economy will come to a standstill. Zimbabwe's economic and political troubles will be brought to a head by an unofficial alliance between much of the local private sector and the trade union movement. With dangerous crises in the farming sector, banking, the insurance industry and many individual businesses, many companies have privately signalled to the ZCTU that they would strongly back a countrywide strike starting on Wednesday.
At the same time, a delegation of South African cabinet ministers is scheduled to sit down with their Zimbabwean counterparts in Harare to try to plan a way out of the economic mess. A planned strike on Monday was postponed to Wednesday at the last minute to allow the new parliament to hold its first debate on Tuesday, with 57 opposition MPs ready to raise a concerted assault on the ruling party and its policies. Even the government mouthpiece, The Herald, seems to have taken fright at the seriousness of the situation, and has reversed its support for the farm occupations and called on the war veterans to leave the farms. But the demands of the ZCTU go much further: they insist that the troops get out of the townships, and the police get onto the farms and start to enforce the rule of law.
On Friday, with just hours to spare, a countrywide strike for Monday was called off – for the moment. If on Tuesday Mugabe fails to order the police to end the worsening land crisis, and doesn't pull the army out of the townships, the ZCTU will go ahead with a three-day stayaway, beginning on Wednesday. The ZCTU has made it clear that if law and order are not restored, the work stoppage would continue the following week, and it would probably include many civil servants, such as the huge teachers' unions which are members of the ZCTU. Private sector organisations have decided they will pay their workers for this symbolic stayaway - which analysts predict could cripple the already terminally ill economy.
The ZCTU, in co-operation with the CFU, decided late on Friday to postpone work stoppages until after parliament had reconvened, and to allow workers, who will be paid on Monday, to stock up on essentials. Parliament will be asked to resolve the crisis in order to stave off a stayaway. Last week, Nkosana Moyo, Zimbabwe's new trade and industry minister, told industrialists that the ongoing economic crisis would not end - unless law and order was restored on the commercial farms.
From The Star (SA),30 July
Zimbabwe's opposition unites on picket line
Harare - White farmers, labour unions and Zimbabwe's parliamentary opposition will join forces next week in a national strike likely to pose the strongest challenge yet to President Robert Mugabe and his ruling Zanu-PF party. The opposition MDC and the mainly-white CFU said on Saturday they would back a three-day strike from Wednesday. Zanu-PF's overwhelming majority was slashed in parliamentary elections in June and Mugabe's popularity has been further dented by a recession, soaring inflation and last week's 26 percent hike in petrol prices. The strike was called on Friday by the ZCTU, which claims the support of most of the country's 1,2 million workers.
This call for a stay-away has nothing to do with land redistribution, it has to do with restoring law and order," MDC deputy president Gibson Sibanda told a news conference. He said the MDC, which won an unprecedented 57 out of 120 available seats in parliamentary elections in June, would support the strike in an effort to convince Mugabe it was time to end invasions of farms and attacks on political opponents. "To this end, the government has to withdraw troops and its militia from the townships and the rural areas. The government also, as a matter of urgency, must withdraw war veterans from the farms where they are busy raping, beating and killing farm workers," he said.
Farmers and unions say the violence did not end with the ruling party's narrow election victory and war veterans led by Chenjerai Hunzvi have refused government orders to quit the farms they occupied at Mugabe's urging in May and June. A CFU spokesperson said on Saturday that the union would support the strike, warning the country was close to "total anarchy". "The CFU supports this call for the restoration of law and order and so will be part of the national work stoppage for this period," the spokesperson said. Farmers were targets of fierce anti-white rhetoric during the election campaign, but kept a low profile to avoid escalating conflict in which five of their colleagues died. The ZCTU said on Friday that interference on the farms had escalated despite the government's announcement of plans for the orderly transfer of land from whites to blacks.
FromNews24 (SA), 30 July
Mugabe 'on the ropes'
Harare - Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe could emerge the loser this week if he responds to a three-day national strike against his government with his traditional iron fist, political analysts said on Sunday. The opposition MDC has flexed its labour muscle by joining forces calling for a work boycott from Wednesday to pressure Mugabe to end violence against its supporters and the occupation of white-owned farms. Political analysts said if Mugabe - who normally deploys troops and riot police to suppress strikes - uses force this time it will further alienate key Western donors withholding aid from his government.
Six people were killed in January 1998 when Mugabe deployed troops after riots over food prices and taxes. He banned strikes for six months in August of that year. A forceful response now would increase growing divisions over strategy in his ruling Zanu-PF movement, which barely survived its toughest electoral challenge against the MDC last month after 20 years of power. "Whatever way he responds in this case, he is on the losing side," said Professor Masipula Sithole, a leading political commentator. "Morally, he can only give in and promise the rule of law, and, in political terms, he will be on the losing side because that's a position he should have taken without being forced to," he told Reuters.
"But he will obviously lose much more politically, both at home and abroad, if he uses force to try to suppress the strike," said Sithole, a lecturer in political science at Harare's University of Zimbabwe. The government has condemned the proposed strike as "ill-advised" but has not indicated how it will respond. Sithole and another political analyst, Brian Raftopoulos, said Mugabe had made a mistake by failing to preach national reconciliation after the June 24-25 general election and allowing bitter militants, led by self-styled war veterans, to continue attacking the opposition and occupying farms. "He has unwittingly created an opportunity for the MDC to demonstrate its urban power with the proposed strike, and in areas in which Zanu-PF lost heavily in the elections," said Raftopoulos.
The strike was called by the ZCTU on Friday, with the MDC, the association of the country's main commercial farmers and others joining later. The ZCTU, once an organ of the ruling party, now effectively supports the MDC, formed 10 months ago and led by former ZCTU secretary-general Morgan Tsvangirai and former ZCTU president Gibson Sibanda. The ZCTU's acting president Isaac Matongo is also national chairman of the MDC and its powerful deputy secretary-general Nicholas Mudzengerere is an MDC executive member. "The truth is that at the moment the MDC is the real force behind the ZCTU because most of its leaders have just come from there, and some are still key office-holders in the labour movement," said Raftopoulos, a researcher at the Zimbabwe Institute of Development Studies. "Zanu-PF used to control the ZCTU in a similar manner in the past, until the unions cut an independent path," he said.
Sithole said using force to suppress the proposed strike would worsen Mugabe's political problems at home and abroad. "There is a big risk of becoming a real pariah, and if he keeps on using force he risks alienating even some of his own supporters who must be embarrassed by what is going on," he said. There are growing divisions in the ruling Zanu-PF over the role of war veterans who have occupied white-owned farms since February in support of Mugabe's plans to seize some of their farms for blacks. Zanu-PF chief spokesperson and former industry and commerce minister Nathan Shamuyarira said on Friday war veterans still on the farms were defying party orders to vacate them to allow the government to pursue an orderly resettlement programme. Privately, however, other Zanu-PF officials say only Mugabe has the power to order the war veterans off the farms, where MDC vice president Gibson Sibanda said on Saturday that "they are busy raping, beating and killing farm workers".
From The Star (SA), 30 July
Tusk force drills Zimbabwe over ivory trade
The international wildlife trade-monitoring organisation, known as Traffic, has begun auditing Zimbabwe's ivory stocks after reports that President Robert Mugabe's government illegally sold more than eight tons of ivory to China as part payment for arms supplies. The financial weekly Financial Gazette quoted the director of Traffic's Harare-based office for east and southern Africa, Tom Milliken, as saying that his organisation was investigating stocks of ivory at Zimbabwe's department of national parks and wildlife management. "We have been asked to undertake an audit of the ivory stocks, that is, to check on the movement of every piece of ivory, establish what stocks should be there and what is physically being held," Milliken told the Financial Gazette.
The newspaper said the investigations followed allegations that Zimbabwe had illegally sold the ivory to China to pay for arms deliveries. London's Sunday Times alleged on July 9 that Zimbabwe's government had in May flown ivory worth US$1-million to China as part payment for thousands of AK-47 rifles delivered by Beijing to Harare at about the same time. The paper claimed that the Geneva-based secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites), to which Zimbabwe belongs, had begun investigating the alleged illicit ivory sale, which could be a serious breach of Cites rules covering ivory trade.
Under Cites rules, elephant herds in Botswana, Zimbabwe and Namibia are listed in appendix two of the convention, which allows only controlled sales of ivory, all of which have to be sanctioned by the body. Zimbabwe this week dismissed the British newspaper's claims as speculation intended to tarnish the government's name. "That is ridiculous. It is mere speculation aimed at damaging the image of the government," said Charles Chipato, secretary of the ministry of mines and environment, which has overall control of Zimbabwe's elephant herds.
Zimbabwe last sold its ivory to Japan in 1998 and with the approval of Cites, he said. Since then it had not sold any ivory to China or any other country, and its stock, now worth about 18 tons, was always under the constant watch of Cites, Traffic and other animal rights groups, Chipato said. "There are scientific modes of monitoring the growth and mortality rates of elephants and Cites can at any time easily check and verify what stock we should have in our warehouses," he said. Milliken said an audit by his organisation should help clear the issue.
Military sources said that the Zimbabwe government, which is grappling with a severe foreign currency shortage, has had to resort to several barter deals with arms suppliers to beef up its depleted war machinery in the DRC. The senior sources, however, refused to shed light on the nature of these barter deals but it is understood that the ivory and the diamonds from Congo were being used to acquire arms. At a Cites summit in Kenya earlier this year, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia fought off fierce opposition from mostly Western-based animal rights groups to have their elephants remain listed in appendix two. Any claims of an upsurge in the poaching of elephants or the illegal sale of ivory could damage prospects of continued trade, which southern African governments say brings in millions of dollars annually that help in the good management of wildlife.
Zimbabwe -Our plea !!
Please help us rid our country of this menance
The Sunday Times
July 30 2000 AFRICA
©
'We can't wait until 2002': Karoi farmer David Brand was beaten in protest about a strike on his farm, but mass action against Robert Mugabe is spreading across the country
Zimbabwe strikes against Mugabe
Karen MacGregor, Harare
OPPOSITION MPs in Zimbabwe predicted yesterday that this week's three-day general strike could herald a series of stoppages aimed at removing President Robert Mugabe from power long before his term of office ends in 2002.
Diplomats in Harare are bracing themselves for violence. They believe it may be worse than anything seen before last month's general election, which produced a narrow victory for Mugabe's increasingly discredited Zanu-PF party.
Jonathan Moyo, his information minister, described the strike as ill-advised, warning ominously that "adequate security arrangements" were being made. Few in Harare doubt that this means a crackdown is imminent following protests over lawlessness in rural areas, where war veterans and squatters have invaded 1,600 white farms and many owners and workers live in fear of attack.
However, western officials have identified dangerous schisms within both Zanu and the security forces. Some say privately that Zimbabwe may be drawn towards civil war unless demands for a return to law and order are met.
Elements within the army such as the elite SAS, commando and parachute regiments have long been opposed to Mugabe's tactics, but the president has protected himself with loyal generals and the thuggish Fifth Brigade, which brutally suppressed early opposition to his rule in the 1980s.
With Mugabe now evidently unable to prevent the farm invasions that he encouraged earlier this year, there are signs of disobedience within the party ranks. Young MPs are said to be disillusioned with his reign and some political mavericks, such as Chenjerai "Hitler" Hunzvi, the veterans' leader, openly flout the rule of law.
"The divisions between the professional troops and party supporters promoted because of their affiliations might well lead to a split in the ranks and lay the foundations for a possible coup d'état," said Michael Quintana, a defence analyst.
Mysterious faxes and posters have been circulating in Harare calling on businesses, factories and shops to close in protest at official ineptitude. Supplies of foreign exchange are predicted to run out and the fuel shortage is expected to worsen.
The plunging Zimbabwe dollar, interest rates close to 70% and a lack of raw materials have already forced businesses to close. Last week alone, fuel prices more than doubled.
The discontent has spread across the country from the farms, where beatings of whites and blacks alike have led to a series of agricultural strikes.Farmers are mystified at the continuing wave of land invasions, despite an agreement to hand over at least 800 white farms for redistribution.
The opposition Movement for Democratic Change - led by Morgan Tsvangirai, a former union leader - has encouraged the Zimbabwe Congress of Trades Unions (ZCTU) to support farmers and bring the country to a standstill on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
"We'll review what happens this week, and with no satisfactory response from the government there will be rolling mass action," said Nomore Sibinda, a ZCTU information officer. "We'll only call it off if something serious is done."
"This is just the beginning," said Mike Auret, the MDC MP for Central Harare. "The stayaway is not only about farmers and the economy - its first objective is restoring the rule of law. We want Mugabe to go tomorrow. Zimbabwe can't wait until 2002."
Diplomats are advising their governments that Zimbabwe is on a knife-edge. "It is at breaking point. If the current situation continues, lots of people will pack up and leave," said one western official.
Military attachés have witnessed troop movements in the countryside, which some farmers hope is a sign that elements within the army want order to be restored. However, there are frequent sightings of personnel helping the so-called war veterans peg out plots of land on farms, and in townships troops loyal to Mugabe have terrorised MDC-controlled areas.
Unrest sparked by the collapsing economy has spread to universities and colleges, and hundreds of Harare polytechnic students occupied a central park on Friday demanding a sixfold increase in their state grant.
Mugabe remained virtually silent last week, while a report in Friday's Zimbabwe Independent newspaper claimed 30 ministers and officials had been allotted vehicles from a newly imported Mercedes Benz fleet valued at US$3.5m (£2.3m).
Last week, white farmers in Karoi in northwest Zimbabwe, where there have been 120 invasions since the election, went on strike. At Gremlin farm, David Brand described how a "veteran" leader lured him to his gate for a conversation.
"He started asking aggressively why the farm had closed, saying Britain was paying for the shutdown. He then grabbed my arm, and people started hitting me in a frenzy."
A pistol Brand had hidden in his trousers fell out, and while people scrabbled for it he was beaten again, then bundled into his pick-up truck and driven towards Karoi. Local farmers alerted by his wife, Jane, forced the vehicle off the road.
Cradling his eight-month-old son, Heath, Brand vowed never to leave the farm. "We're committed and there is lots of work to be done. Anyway, what else can we do?" he said.