The Farmer - 08 January 2001

 

The danger of division

 

IN many ways, last year was the most calamitous in Zimbabwe's turbulent history. Certainly as far as organised agriculture was concerned, the year 2000 was a disaster. But it was a man made disaster. There was neither drought nor flood, disease nor pestilence to test the resolve of Zimbabwean farmers. Instead, a shadowy alliance between State and party declared war on commercial agriculture and threatened the future of farmers and, indeed, Zimbabwe itself.

 

The reasons for the war were clear enough. With an economy in tatters and the birth of a political opposition, the ruling party needed a scapegoat. It was not enough to declare war on the nascent MDC because blame had to be apportioned. People were suffering and flocking to the opposition, ZANU-PF lost an important (to them) referendum and came perilously close to losing a general election. And long before either the referendum or the election took place, ZANU-PF knew that they were under threat.

 

The farm invasion saga was planned late in 1999 and began in earnest in February 2000. The objective was to win both the general election and the subsequent presidential election - and to win both at any cost. The referendum, they knew, was lost before it even began, but that was fine because payback time would follow hot on it's heels.

 

Since then farmers and their employees have been murdered in cold blood so that Robert Mugabe and his cohorts can retain dominion over the country. Whites have been singled out as enemies of the State and, of particular relevance to organised agriculture, there has been a concerted effort to break the back of farming unity. The public face of that unity is the Commercial Farmers' Union and for as long as Mugabe exhorts farmers to bypass their union and negotiate with government as individuals, we know that he still fears the collective influence of organised agriculture.

 

Interestingly, during the last twelve months both the MDC and the CFU have come in for increasing criticism from the Zimbabwean public. Interestingly because there are no links between the two; one is a political party with massive grass roots and labour appeal and the other represents the cream of the continent's agricultural expertise. But there's a perception that both have a leadership role to play in resolving national problems. The has been accused of prevarication and a lack of confrontation, while the MDC, increasingly, stands accused of doing… well, basically of doing nothing at all.

 

This is partly because the people of Zimbabwe are crying out for leaders. And why? There is an increasing realisation that the land invasions and general lawlessness heralded not just a declaration of war on farmers, but a declaration of war on all Zimbabweans. After all, if farmers are not safe, why should anyone else assume they'll be safe?

 

Sadly, simply by entering into a new year doesn't mean that the crisis is over - but it should mean that the resolve to end the crisis is strengthened.

 

And perhaps the most important weapon, if it can be called a weapon, in the hands of commercial agriculture is unity. By the end of last year there were signs that a united front was looking fragile. Individual farmers, said some, were making individual arrangements either with illegal invaders of their land or with errant government officials. On the face of it, that doesn't sound too bad - except that every deal struck to the benefit of the landowner has to be, logically, detrimental to a farmer somewhere else.

 

If anything will destroy agriculture in Zimbabwe (and take the country with it) it will be a lack of unity. And the only reason ZANU-PF would give almost anything to break that unity is because it fears farmers as a united body, but knows that without unity it can manipulate individual farmers into accepting virtually anything - or, more likely still, nothing.

 

It seems likely that history won't be as unkind to the CFU as its present day, and largely urban, critics have been. There are no rules to the current political crisis, yet farmers must play by the rules, there are no laws that government need obey, and yet farmers and their union must stick rigidly to the law. The playing field is hardly level. And yet, while most of the union's critics accuse it of not being confrontational enough, the alleged deals being struck on the ground would indicate that some, albeit it a negligible minority, still believe in appeasement.

 

But it won't work. To date, no one who has struck a deal with ZANU-PF has seen it honoured. This is a party struggling for its survival and because it knows the threat to its continuance is very, very real, it will smilingly use pawns until they are no longer useful. And then it will discard them.

 

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Brian Latham
Editor- The Farmer

NRZ blamed for inefficiency as

 

Coal shortage puts tobacco curing in jeopardy

 

TOBACCO growers and other industries that require coal for their daily operations are reported to be facing a critical shortage of the product forcing some of them to import coal from South Africa in order to save their businesses.

 

Sources indicated that tobacco farmers and other companies that require coal, could be using the little foreign currency available to secure coal from neighbouring South Africa, which is believed to be costing $2000 more per tonne than when secured locally.

 

In Zimbabwe the bulk of the coal required is mined by Wankie Colliery and transported by National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ).

 

According to Wankie Colliery Public Relations Officer, Mr Simukai Chihanga, the colliery company is unable to verify reports that South African coal is finding its way into the Zimbabwean market.

 

"We understand that some local consumers have imported coal from South Africa but we are unable to verify that," he said.

 

Mr Chihanga said there were two major problems responsible for coal shortages, namely shortage of NRZ empty wagons and the grade balance.

 

He said due to the erratic wagon supplies, the Colliery company had been unable to load a steady stream of wagons and time lost due to wagon shortage could not be recovered.

 

Said Mr Chihanga: "When there have been no wagons to load we have had to shut down the plant. Cost implications have been significant. We hope that the NRZ will get their act together and improve wagon supply."

 

Mr Chihanga said the other problem has been a shift in demand from the dry grades to washed grades, particularly washed peas. This shift, he said, reflected a change from hand stocking to automatic feeders. He admitted that Wankie Colliery had been slow to react to this shift in the market.

 

The colliery company, he said, was now in the process of installing a crushing and screening plant at a cost of about Z$80 million and it was hoped this would improve the supply of grades that are in demand.

 

"As soon as our project to increase availability of washed peas is complete, we expect to be able to satisfy all local customer requirements," said Mr Chihanga.

 

It is feared that if deliveries do not improve to the required capacity soon, tobacco farmers will be unable to cure their tobacco to the required standards and could loose millions of dollars in export revenues.

 

Most farmers require the washed grade coal for curing tobacco. Most tobacco farmers have started curing their tobacco, which is the major source of foreign currency to Zimbabwe. Sources in the tobacco industry told The Farmer that producers wanted the washed grade because they use automatic feeders but in the current crisis, they might have to do with the low-grade coal dust.

 

It is said that tobacco farmers usually use an average of 60 rail wagons per day during this peak period but at the moment they are getting about 40 wagons.

 

Some sources in the tobacco industry concurred that there might be some companies importing coal for their own use. However, the same sources said for tobacco farmers, importing coal might not be a feasible option considering that it would cost far more.

 

"Some companies might import because they can't operate without it but there are some import restrictions that get in the way of farmers," said the source.

 

Tobacco growers have a 20% allocation of foreign currency that they can only use to directly import fuel. This facility was made available to them since the country was gripped by the fuel crisis.

 

Efforts to get a comment from Zimbabwe Tobacco Association (ZTA) president, Mr Kobus Joubert, were unsuccessful but it is understood he was scheduled to meet Wankie Colliery management. It was not clear when exactly the meeting was to take place.

 

Some growers' said they were disappointed by the continued problems in coal supply as there seemed not to be an improvement despite assurances from Wankie Colliery, ZTA and NRZ that the problem would be rectified.

 

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Mvurwi farmer arrested after shooting incident

 

IN AN incident that has baffled colleagues in the farming community, Mvurwi farmer, Mr Patrick Hyde of Pembi Falls farm, about 100km North of Harare, was arrested for allegedly shooting and injuring two cattle belonging to war veterans who have occupied his farm.

 

Mvurwi police initially charged Mr Hyde with malicious injury to property, but later changed this to include 12 counts of attempted murder. However, the attempted murder charges were later dropped.

 

According to Mvurwi Farmers' Association chairman, Mr Gordon Chance, Mr Hyde, in consultation with his lawyers, signed a warned and cautioned statement.

 

He appeared before a Bindura magistrate who remanded him out of custody after he paid a $20 000 bail. Mr Hyde was remanded to 15 January.

 

On the charges of malicious injury to property, Mr Hyde is alleged to have gone to the war veterans' camp at Pembi Falls Farm between 12 and 2:30am and shot two cattle.

 

It is not clear why he was being charged with 12 counts of attempted murder.

 

However, it is understood that these charges emanated from allegations that Mr Hyde fired eight shots at the shacks on Pembi Falls farm where 12 war veterans said they were sleeping at the time of the shooting.

 

It is alleged that after the shooting, the war veterans switched their torch on and saw Mr Hyde driving off. The war veterans are said to have reported the incident to Mvurwi police after sunrise leading to Mr Hyde's arrest.

 

Mr Chance said following Mr Hyde's arrest, police searched for weapons belonging to Mr Hyde but found nothing. Police were only given the firearms after they produced firearms records for the Pembi Falls farm. Mr Hyde then spent a night in police custody before being taken to court.

 

According to the Commercial Farmers' Union (CFU) some family members accompanied Mr Hyde to the police station. It was reported that the situation became extremely tense while at the police station following and altercation between war veterans and two Hyde family members.

 

According to CFU, a Mr Hyde (snr) was assaulted when he intervened to prevent war veterans from beating Mr Patrick Hyde's wife who is nine months pregnant.

 

Efforts to get a comment from Mr Hyde were unsuccessful at the time of going to press.

 

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Now they're invading private homes

 

As the New Year began, the Commercial Farmers Union expressed concern at what it described an "emerging pattern" of war veterans evicting farmers and their workers from their houses in the continuing violence and intimidation on commercial farms.

 

about 50 "war veterans", and ZANU-PF supporters, armed with sticks and axes, this week evicted 30 farm workers from their houses at Chirobi Farm in Bindura, about 88km from Harare. Last November, they evicted 45 workers and their families from their houses at the same farm.

 

While government continues to parcel out pieces of land on designated farms as part of its "fast track" resettlement programme, the CFU reported haphazard planting of crops while disruption of normal farming operations has continued unabated.

 

This is despite a widely publicized statement by President Robert Mugabe over the Christmas Holidays saying farm invasions should cease while authorities continue with his controversial fast track land reform.

 

"After a relatively quiet Christmas period in most areas, disruptive activity is back to the pre-Christmas levels in all areas. All areas report illegal and generally haphazard planting of crops," said a CFU report this week.

 

The union was also concerned by mounting reports of cattle being deliberately driven off commercial farms onto main roads while poaching and other illegal activities continue on the farms.

 

According to the CFU report, a security guard was seriously assaulted by poachers with pangas on BJB Ranch in Chiredzi. A weapon, which was later recovered, was confiscated from the guard.

 

In the Marondera area, 100km east of Harare, a "war veteran" identified only as Maphosa, accompanied by two other invaders, arrived at Wenimbe Farm and left a note for the owner with an ultimatum for the farm owner and his workers to vacate their homes by the next day. Attempts by the police to negotiate a solution failed as Maphosa continued his threats in the presence of the police.

 

In the Midlands Province, according to the CFU, the main problem on most occupied farms has been the issue of orders to farmers to move their cattle out of paddocks in which crops have been illegally planted.

 

And in defiance to Mugabe's statement that there should be no new farm invasions, in the Nyamandhlovu area of Matabeleland, more invasions occurred at Highfields Ranch and Cawston Block over the festive season. More than 800 illegal occupiers invaded Highfields and began ploughing illegally.

 

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Police shoot farmer in Mutare

 

MR Karl Wolf of Gubinchen Farm in Mutare was shot and injured by a police Support Unit detail who mistook him for a cattle rustler.

 

Mr Wolf was shot at night while he was helping to drive another farmers' cattle off the Harare-Mutare highway. The farmer-received gun shot wounds on the ankle and suffered a broken shoulder after the vehicle he was driving veered off the road in a hail of bullets.

 

According to reports from Mutare, 13 rounds were fired through Mr Wolf's vehicle. Commercial farmers' Union (CFU) regional executive, Ms Judy Wilson, said the incident happened at around 8.30pm.

 

She said local police had called on Mr Wolf in his capacity as neighbourhood watch member to react to a report of stock theft. He went to the local police sub-station where he was accompanied a police detail and then proceeded to the farm of the supposed owner of the stolen cattle where two stockmen joined the group. They proceeded to the main Harare-Mutare Road just below Christmas Pass where the cattle had been spotted. In the meantime, Penhalonga police had already deployed three armed officers at the scene to investigate the stock theft report.

 

However, after Mr Wolf and his companions saw the cattle, it turned out they did not belong to the employer of the stockmen as none of them could to identify the animals. It was then agreed that they should, nonetheless, move the cattle off the road. It was while they were herding the cattle away from the road that the armed officers opened fire mistaking Mr Wolf and his companions for cattle rustlers.

 

The officer in charge who had dropped off the police details from Penhalonga heard the shooting and returned to the scene. He later took Mr Wolf to hospital.

 

According to Mr Augustine Mutimukulu, one of the stockmen who was with Mr Wolf at the time of the shooting, the police started firing without warning.

 

"We shouted that we were also with the police but they continued shooting and only stopped after Mr Wolf was hit," said Mr Mutimukulu.

 

He said Mr Wolf asked him and his colleague to join two police details from the area after someone had reported that the stolen cattle were from their farm. He said however, the cattle were not from their employer's farm but belonged to Greenacres Farm.

 

At the time of going to press Mr Wolf was said to be recovering in hospital.

 

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'Credit scheme only for those who qualify'- Cottco

 

THE Cotton Company of Zimbabwe (Cottco), the largest cotton marketing organisation in the country, says only those farmers who meet its qualifying criteria can access its input credit scheme.

 

This follows allegations within the agricultural industry that Cottco was supplying "war veterans" and other squatters who have illegally occupied commercial farms with inputs through the company's popular input credit scheme.

 

Sources in the cotton industry said all that was required by Cottco for the applicant to qualify for the input credit scheme was a letter of support.

 

The sources could not, however, say where such letters were being obtained from or what the contents of the letters were but added that it seemed the main concern of the company was to see increased cotton production.

 

According to Cottco's acting managing director, Mr Cuthbert Chakanyuka, communal or smallholder farmers were required to form groups of an average 20 members to apply for credit. It is understood the Zimbabwe Farmers' Union (ZFU), Agritex or local authorities normally supported applications lodged by such groups.

 

"A group's application is normally supported by ZFU, Agritex or a local authority official. Preference is given to farmers who have cotton growing experience," he said.

 

Mr Chakanyuka said there were also members of a group of growers referred to as the 'Gold Club' who are assisted on a stand-alone basis. Such farmers, he said, will be growing a minimum of four hectares.

 

"This is done to cater for the needs which are more than those of farmers growing less than four hectares," said Mr Chakanyuka.

 

The allegations that Cottco was providing credit to the farm invaders seem to have been fuelled by the government's announcement that it would be providing $900 million to assist smallholder farmers, including the newly resettled under the fast track programme in securing inputs.

 

Of the $900 million, the government said it would channel $300 million to those interested in growing cotton through Cottco's input credit scheme.

 

On its own Cottco has set aside $1,3 billion for loans to farmers both large scale and communal and it is anticipated that 60 000 farmers will be financed this season.

 

Mr Chakanyuka said they were projecting a 10% increase in cotton production mainly because more than three quarters of the country had planted the SZ9314 seed variety which is higher yielding than varieties grown last year. He said during this time in the previous season about one third of the country was planted with this variety.

 

He also said most of the communal participants of Cottco's inputs scheme had increased hectarages put to cotton and there was a lot of enthusiasm to grow cotton by communal farmers.

 

Sources said one of the main reasons for the increased cotton hectarage was that many communal farmers had decided to reduce maize hectarages in preference to cotton. This was because they were disappointed by the Grain Marketing Board's (GMB) failure to pay them in time for maize delivered during the last planting season.

 

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Poisoning the neighbourhood

 

George Soros, the international financier, has become the latest to lambast South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki for his failure to act more firmly with regard to the conduct of his Zimbabwean counterpart, Robert Mugabe.

 

Soros says Mugabe's policies have hurt the South African economy yet South Africa continues to support him, citing the recent agreement between the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority and South Africa's state power monopoly, Eskom, that will see the price of Zimbabwe's power imports from its southern neighbour cut by a quarter.

 

"It (Zimbabwe) is doing damage to South Africa, yet South Africa continues to help Mugabe stay in power,'' said Soros in an interview with Business Report newspaper. "I understand the position that he (Mbeki) felt that, through constructive engagement, he would be able to persuade Mugabe to modify his behaviour. I give him full credit for having tried, but clearly he has not succeeded.''

 

Soros says he intends to advise Mbeki that pressure "may be better now than sweet words.''

 

Zimbabwe's political and economic crisis has been blamed as one of the key causes of the weakening of the rand by about a quarter against the US dollar so far this year.

 

"Mugabe has poisoned the neighbourhood. This has done considerable damage to South Africa,'' Soros said. "This is one point where I am actually critical of the policy followed by President Mbeki.''

 

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CROP WATCH

 

Soyabean rust

 

The first reports of soyabean rust for this season have been confirmed from the trap crops at Rattray Arnold Research Station, Enterprise and in Glendale. Farmers are strongly advised to spray their crops preventatively at first flowering (50 to 60 days after planting), and then, either apply two further sprays at a 21-day interval, in areas of known high severity of the disease, or again at approx. 90 days after planting, in areas where rust has previously caused little damage."

 

Riots rock Kadoma 

 

Daily News 1/11/01 10:33:49 AM (GMT +2)
 

 

Lloyd Mudiwa in Kadoma

 

THE police unleashed brutal force yesterday to quell peaceful demonstrations that turned violent in Kadoma yesterday.

 

The riots were sparked off by residents protesting against a 152 percent increase in rates in the agricultural and mining town, 141km south-west of Harare.
The riots resulted in closure of businesses in the town.
The police, with reinforcements from Chegutu and the Police Support Unit, sealed off roads from the suburbs of Ngezi, Waverley, Rimuka and Rio Tinto, leading to the town centre .
Some residents, somehow, found their way into town, but they were quickly dispersed by the riot police, who set dogs on them, fired teargas and assaulted them.
A group of five overzealous policemen beat up a colleague in plainclothes at Msasa Filling Station in town, unaware that he was one of them. They only stopped after he produced his official identity card.
The police patrolled the city¹s suburbs dispersing any groups on sight and the residents reacted by barricading the roads with rocks and dustbins.
The police forced people from their homes and the streets to remove the
barricades.
In Waverley suburb, nine policemen in a Santana, registration number
ZRP160R, accompanied by another 10 officers in a Mazda B1600 from Chegutu (ZRP137M),
forced a group of about 20 residents, including women and children, to remove barricades from Bhonda Road, and assaulted them whenever they stopped to rest. One man slipped and fell as eight policemen descended on him. Another group was forced to crawl on the tarmac for moving slower than the police officers¹ brisk pace. They would also be beaten up.
In Rimuka, policemen in a Santana (ZRP186D) forced people out of their homes and passers-by and commandeered them to remove rubbish blocking Chaitezvi Road.
Efforts to get comment from the police failed yesterday after the deputy officer commanding the district, identified only as Superintendent Kapare, referred questions to the Mashonaland West province headquarters in Chinhoyi or police spokesman, Chief Superintendent Wayne Bvudzijena.
Inspector Ernest Muchenjekwa, of Mashonaland West, said the police had used reasonable force “because when people barricade roads, that does not show displeasure with rate increases”.
He said 22 people were arrested and would be charged with inciting public disorder. They were expected to appear in court today.
Muchenjekwa said the police reacted after the residents barricaded roads, including the highway linking Kadoma to Harare and Bulawayo. He confirmed that “a large number” of riot police was deployed.
He said: “The deployment paid dividends because there were no nasty
incidents.”
Stanley Tawengwa, of the Kadoma Ratepayers and Residents¹ Association, said the residents spontaneously demonstrated against the failure by council to consult residents before drawing up this year¹s budget.
He said although the association tried to call off the demonstration,
following a meeting with the council officials and the police on Tuesday night, residents chose to go ahead with the protest march.
Tawengwa said despite acknowledging receipt of the residents¹ intention to Demonstrate, Kapare said the police did not have enough resources in case the demonstration turned violent.
“Two members of the Zanu PF central committee, one of them a war veteran, accused us of being members of the
opposition and threatened to set ex-combatants on us,” claimed Tawengwa.
Malakai Chidimu, the Town Clerk, said: “I cannot comment on this. It is
political and not administrative.”
Efforts to get comment from Ernest Shamuyarira, the Executive Mayor, failed as he was said to be unwell.

ZUJ to take police chief to court over harassment 

 

Daily News 1/11/01 9:55:34 AM (GMT +2)
 

 

Staff Reporter

 

BASILDON Peta, the secretary- general of the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists (ZUJ) yesterday said his organisation intends to take the police commissioner, Augustine Chihuri to court to compel him to investigate cases of harassment of journalists by war veterans.

 

 

 

Peta said: “We are completely outraged by the continued assaults of
journalists by self-styled independence war veterans.
“In all the cases recorded so far there has been very little police action.
We are therefore left with no option but to consider court action against Chihuri to force him to investigate these abuses.”
His comments followed a drama at the Harare magistrate’s court on Tuesday when 11 of Joseph Chinotimba’s body guards attacked Alfred Chagonda, a Zimbabwe Inter Africa News Agency (Ziana) reporter in a case of mistaken identity.
The men grabbed Chagonda, 26, by his shirt, pushed him to the wall and
surrounded him, shouting that he was Conrad Nyamutata, a reporter with The Daily News.
They accused Nyamutata of writing “lies” about Chinotimba.
Chinotimba, 43, the self-proclaimed commander-in-chief of farm invasions, had been escorted to court as a witness to an attempted murder case in which he is the complainant.
Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi, The Daily News photographer was yesterday harassed by prison guards when he tried to take a picture of Agnes Rusike, a war veteran who leads farm invasions in the Norton farming area. Rusike was appearing in court on charges of theft and malicious injury to property.
Three weeks ago Julius Zava, The Daily News deputy editor was assaulted by a police officer at the Harare Central Police Station for allegedly writing stories critical of the government.
Chengetai Zvauya, a reporter at The Standard, was beaten up by war veterans at the Zanu PF headquarters last year.
Peta said: “We can safely conclude that the police have condoned violence against journalists. Several appeals for action have not yielded results. We are therefore left with no option but to consider court action.
“We want an order compelling Chihuri to offer a 24-hour police protection to targeted reporters like Nyamutata. It is sad that we have to consider such action but there is nothing we can do in view of the state-sponsored terrorism against the media,’’ Peta said.

Rusike pleads for bail 

 

Daily News 1/11/01 10:01:08 AM (GMT +2)
 

 

Court Reporter

 

AGNES Rusike, 40, the leader of farm invasions in the Norton area, facing charges involving theft and destruction of property worth $61 000, yesterday pleaded with Norton magistrate, Elizabeth Chaponda, to release her on bail, saying she had repented away from Parklands Farm.

 

Rusike then applied to the High Court for bail but her application was turned down.
Chaponda said she would make a ruling on the fresh bail application today.
On other charges, Rusike is being accused of organising a group of war
veterans to chase away policemen trying to arrest two ex-fighters at
Parklands.
The men, still at large, face allegations of stealing maize from the farm.
Rusike also faces other charges of contravening the Miscellaneous Act, theft and malicious injury to property.
War veterans, led by Rusike, occupied the farm in May last year and have vowed not to budge until they have been allocated land.

Prison officers, police attack Daily News photographer 

 

Daily News 1/11/01 10:02:53 AM (GMT +2)
 

 

Court Reporter

 

FIVE prison officers and a policeman pounced on Tsvangirai Mukwazhi, a
photographer with The Daily News, when he tried to take pictures of Agnes Rusike, a leader of farm invasions in the Norton area, as she arrived at the Norton Magistrates’ court yesterday.

 

The men rushed at Mukwazhi and demanded that he surrender the film to them, threatening to arrest the photographer if he declined.

 

“Who gave you permission to take photographs here? You are way out of line,”
said one prison officer as he seized Mukwazhi’s hand.
When Mukwazhi refused to surrender his camera, the men teamed up against him, took the camera and removed the film. Then they handed back the camera.
One of the officers then exposed the film to direct sunlight.
Norton Magistrate Elizabeth Chaponda intervened and said: “I do not expect such behaviour from you officers.
“If you had a problem with the photographer, you are aware of the
procedures. You should have told me and I would have ordered him not to take pictures if I deemed it fit.”
She said what the officers had done typified the lawlessness prevailing in the country and she would not tolerate it even from the police.
Isaac Manheruse, a Norton police spokesman, confirmed a report had been made and a docket, R B No: 579028, opened. Manheruse said the case was now under investigation.
Frankie Meki, the spokesman for the Zimbabwe Prison Services, described the incident as unfortunate and mischievous on the part of the officers.
Meki said: “We do not have jurisdiction on land outside our institutions. I am baffled why the officers did that. It is only inside a prison institution that cameras brought in by anyone without prior arrangements with our authorities can be confiscated.”
The exposed film is still in possession of the prison officers.
The incident comes a day after 11 of Joseph Chinotimba’s bodyguards
attacked Alfred Chagonda, a reporter with Ziana, at the Harare Magistrates’
Court after they mistook him for Conrad Nyamutata, a senior reporter with The Daily News.
Chinotimba, 43, a self-proclaimed commander-in-chief of farm invasions, had been escorted to court as a witness in an attempted murder case in which he is the complainant.

Coalition slams US crackdown on immigrants 

 

Daily News 1/11/01 10:12:46 AM (GMT +2)
 

 

Staff Reporters

 

Advocates for immigrants in the United States have called Andrew Mutizira, who died while trying to sneak back into the country last week, the latest casualty of the heavy-handed US crackdown policy on immigrants.

 

One strategy of the stepped-up enforcement policy is to closely scrutinize legal immigrants when they return to the US after leaving for whatever reason, they said.
“Many people find themselves feeling very desperate,” said Margie McHugh of the New York Immigrant Coalition. “It's a horrible, horrible, dehumanizing system.”
The heartbroken widow of the Zimbabwean crushed to death at the US-Canadian border tearfully identified his mangled body at a mortuary on Monday.
Chenai Mutizira was making final arrangements to claim the body of her
36-year-old husband, who was killed when he tried to hide in the wheel base of a bus to avoid detection by border guards on 2 January.
“It's impossible not to feel horrified at what she is going through,” said a police official who spoke to Chenai on Tuesday.
Mutizira, legally in the country, was a student in the US, and had gone from his home in Texas to Canada to pick up his two children, Kudakwashe, 9, and Ropafadzo, 7, who had come in from Harare.
He tried to drive back into the country with the two children and his
sister's brother when suspicious immigration agents questioned them.
The border guards barred the brother-in-law after he claimed to be an
American citizen. They revoked Mutizira's right to return to the US after he admitted that he knew the brother-in-law was lying.
He then tried to slip across the border by hiding in the undercarriage of the bus, but died when the driver started up the coach.
Immigration officials on Tuesday again said they shared the family's grief over the tragic death of Mutizira, but insisted that immigration a