COMMERCIAL FARMERS' UNION
FARM INVASIONS UPDATE
FRIDAY 9 JUNE
2000
Statement by President Mugabe at Star Rally in Gutu yesterday
8 June
2000 :
"If farmers try and resist war veterans taking their
farms they (war
veterans) will kill them".
In this regard the CFU's
position is that it is not dealing with the
offer of farms or their
allocation with the war veterans.
Vice-President Msika, Chairman of the
National Land Task Force, stated
on 15 May 2000 that the demonstration by war
veterans by occupying
commercial farms is separate to the issue of the offer
or acquisition of
farms by the State, which will be dealt with only by
him.
The Union continues to follow only the legal procedures in dealing
with
the land issue and will not be intimidated by politicians as to how
its
members will respond to the gazetting of 804 farms on 2 June
2000.
- - -
We are still studying the legal implications of
Gazette Notice 233A
involving 795 properties (there are some duplications!)
and advise, at
this stage, that farmers who intend to object to the
acquisition of
their properties should prepare their papers in the meantime
but do not
submit objections prior to the elections - this could be
highly
inflammatory. Farmers have until the close of business on Monday
3rd
July, to lodge their objections with the Ministry, which is ample
time.
Advice on how to construct an objection will follow shortly. In
the
meantime keep cool.
REGIONAL REPORTS
MASHONALAND
CENTRAL
Centenary - There was a work stoppage yesterday, which was
resolved.
Victory Block - A group in a white Isuzu was moving around the
area
claiming to be war vets and collecting food from various
farms
yesterday. It is suspected that this group are not war vets but
are
taking advantage of the situation. A farm lorry was commandeered
from
Rusimbe to transport people to a rally this morning and has been
seen
driving around the area. The owner of Msitwe River Ranch reports that
a
large proportion of his maize crop has been stolen.
Tsatsi - Zanu PF
youths commandeered a tractor and trailor from one farm
and collected youths
from surrounding farms to attend a pungwe
yesterday.
Glendale - a lorry
was commandeered yesterday morning to transport
people to a rally. A group
of war vets are currently searching the farm
village for opposition material
at Bauhenia.
MASVINGO
Mwenezi - There is still an occupation on
Moriah Ranch. A new
occupation has ocurred on Marriotti Ranch this week.
Pegging is taking
place.
All is quiet in the rest of the
region.
MIDLANDS
Kwekwe - There was a visit to Rockvale Farm, with an
expected return.
Communications between farmers and war vet leaders in the
area are good.
MASHONALAND WEST NORTH
Banket - Occupiers left
Chimwemwe Farm for Doondo Farm, where building
has started. There have been
reports of poaching on Ringari Farm.
Chinhoyi - Young occupiers have pegged
and left The Range Estate.
Ayshire - Unknown thiefs broke into the homestead
on SS Ranch. On Chiwe
Farm there was a pungwe on Wednesday night. Labour were
assaulted for
not attending.
Lions Den - 4 cattle are missing from Chengu
Farm, and 2 from Nyamakari,
which is adjacent to it. A meeting was held with
war vets on Nyamakari
this morning regarding the re-allocation of cattle so
that huts may be
built. Occupiers are unhappy with Tredar Security Firm and
locked the
gates.
A Zanu PF rally was held on Romsey Farm with the labour,
and threats
were made to key personel. On Upper Romsey, Mr Maseko is waiting
on the
farm for Agritex to peg plots.
Doma - There was a walk-on on Binge,
Eben and Lorraine farms in Doma.
Karoi - 3 marathon runners were hassled by
war veterans when running
along the road, and later by ZRP Karoi. The owner
of Buttevart Farm
denied occupiers transport and his name was booked for
possible
reprisal.
Harassment continues on Runnimede Farm and there has
been a work
stoppage on the seedbeds and demands that labour should
attend
meetings. Tractors have still not been allowed to work on Renroc,
and
labour is being harassing.
Our Regional Office reports the
following:
ZESA Kariba has only 4 out of 6 generators working, and ZESA
Hwange only
2 out of 6. Imports are limited, there is a shortfall of 400
megawatts,
and the situation is now so bad we have to load shed without a
plan.
MASHONALAND WEST SOUTH
Chakari - On Blackmorevale war vets put
stones across the road and the
owner lost his exhaust early this
morning.
Chegutu - On Masterpiece Farm war vets wanted the owner to plough
with
them, but he refused. Tree cutting continues. On Ranwig a dairy cow
was
shot dead. On the Lowood Farm road about 50 airforce personel
are
currently "on exercise" with shovels and weapons. This is
being
monitored. On Corleinor Farm occupiers are demanding that the
workers
move off so that they can be resettled. It appears they have it mixed
up
with another farm on the list. There have been a number of visits
to
farms wanting transport for rallies over the weekend
Norton - There
have been quite a few demands for farmers and farm
workers to attend a rally
on Sunday. This clashes with a cricket match.
Don Carlos has said he will
close down the club if farmers do not
attend. Police have said they will put
Support Units at the club.
Kadoma - Georgia Farm has been
reoccupied.
MASHONALAND EAST
Marondera South - 7 youths approached the
owner of Stow yesterday. The
owner asked the leader his name and he opened
his jacket to reveal a
pistol, telling the owner "I can drop you right now."
The youths then
demanded to meet with the labour, who were unloading a
National Foods
truck. They got fiery when they heard this and told the farmer
to go
back to Britain. The farmer was threatened and told to leave the farm
by
4 pm yesterday. The farmer phoned the police who arrived within
20
miniutes and defused the situation. Their reaction was effective
and
efficient.
50 war vets made the Ruzawi Ranch labour peg the farm and
charged them
$25 each in order to feed the resident occupiers.
Wedza - A
white pickup visited Maryhill Farm, advising that they would
be back to take
one of the farms. A shot was heard and the meat of 2
impala found on
Lillifontein. Tracks lead to Collacc Farm, but Wedza
security are dealing
with the report.
Beatrice - The commercial farming area is quiet, but there
are rumblings
in the resettlement areas.
Enterprise - The farmer on
Devonia had to slaughter a beast for
occupiers and his labourers in order for
the occupiers to remove the
boom they set up on the farm. The police and war
vet leadership attended
the scene in support of the farmer and he willingly
agreed to slaughter
the beast for goodwill and to prevent the development of
any further
problems.
Bromley/Ruwa - 50 war vets arrived to peg Middleton
and left yesterday
afternoon.
MATABELELAND
Nyamandhlovu - There is
extensive poaching on Redwood Park as well as
the intimidation of staff,
especially the two night guards patrolling
the ostrich pens. Gates have been
opened at night and ostriches have
stampeded through two fences into the
maize and paprika lands resutling
in three ostriches' deaths and two with
broken legs. ZRP and war vet
leadership have reacted and are trying to
restore order.
Inyathi - On Goodwood Block large numbers of communal cattle
are being
driven in and out of the ranch through holes the boundary fence,
making
monitoring and stock checks nearly
impossible.
MANICALAND
Police and Support Unit have withdrawn from Roy
Bennett's farm. He has
moved off as a result.
There is a Zanu PF star
rally in Mutare today.
OTHER
There is an advance party of two
Commonwealth Observers based in
Manicaland at the Holiday Inn. They are:
Mr Shyley Kondowe - Executive Director of the Malawi Institute
of
Democratic and Economic Affairs
Julie Bishop - Federal Member of
Parliament for Curtin - Australia -
house of Representatives
They can be
contacted on Cell 011 210496 or at the Hotel and the Hotel
fax
The
Commonwealth contingent is co-coordinated by:
Mr Christopher Child
Chief
Programmed Officer
Commonwealth Secretariat
Based at the Sheraton Hotel -
Room 1519
Phone: 781033 Cell: 091 240403
The SADAC contingent
is based at
Jameson Hotel - Room 304
Phone: 774106
The NDI
Senior Programme Officer is
Richard Klein
Cell: 011 710245
Any
reports of political violence or intimidation should be reported
immediately
to the Police and a docket number obtained and to an
Observer group.
Details of other observer groups will be given as and
when
available.
ZESA
We have been in contact with ZESA regarding the
unscheduled outages.
They advise that 4 generators at Hwange are down at
present and they are
struggling to find forex to repair
them.
Presently, because of the high winter demand the daily peaks
often
exceed the available supply by between 10 - 25% and load shedding
is
necessary to cope with these periods.
They are unable to increase
their imports because of forex
restrictions. The present imports are based
on contracts and buying
extra imports to cope with peak demand would be
outside the normal
contract costs and hence very expensive.
We are
arranging a meeting early next week with top Zesa executives to
ascertain the
longer term implications and will advise our members
accordingly.
JOHN
DICKENS
COMMERCIAL EXECUTIVE
9 June 2000