TOP ZANU PF OFFICIALS SNATCH FARMS Sat 2 October
2004
HARARE - Senior ruling ZANU PF party politicians have snatched
up most of the 40 farms seized by the government from agro-firms, estate and
plantation companies in the last month.
The government took the
land saying it wanted to allocate it to black commercial farmers under its
A2 resettlement scheme. It also said some of the farms closer to cities
would be handed over to municipalities for residential
purposes.
An investigation this week by ZimOnline established that
at least 21 of the farms allocated so far had been given to ZANU PF
officials or their private companies.
Some of the firms given
the farms for free are involved in housing development. Under normal
circumstances, the firms must pay for land acquired for property
development.
The probe established that Divine Homes, a company
jointly-owned by deputy Finance Minister David Chapfika and another investor
was allocated Lot 18 of Glen Forest, which is part of Borrowdale Estates,
just outside Harare.
The property measures 12 368
hectares.
The same company was also in the last four weeks given
Lot 9 Block S of Hatfiled Estate just outside Harare. The farm is 140 380
hectares.
ZANU PF stalwart, Chester Mhende, through his company,
Shelter Zimbabwe, snatched up Lyndhurst farm. The size of the farm could not
be immediately established.
Mhende already owns another
119-hectare farm near Norton town about 40 kilometres west of Harare. He
grabbed the Norton property last year from white farmer Joe
Whaley.
Another company, Amalish Investments, which is owned by one
R Musarurwa, who is an official in ZANU PF's Harare provincial executive,
grabbed Chizororo and Stonerigde farms. The two properties, all located
along the Harare-Chitungwiza highway, measure more than 300 000 hectares in
total.
Sally Mugabe Housing Cooperative, named after the late
wife of President Robert Mugabe and led by prominent war veteran Daniel
Mawaka, received three of the farms taken from corporate firms by the
government in the last four weeks.
The co-operative took over
Gletwyn farm, measuring 750 000 hectares and Arcon Estates, measuring 57 124
hectares.
The 130 000 hectare Saturday Retreat, seized from Crest
Breeders International went to Simon Muzenda Housing Co-operative run by
pro-government war veterans.
Reverend Obadiah Musindo, who is
widely perceived to be pro-ZANU PF, last week told his congregation that his
Destiny of Afrika co-operative society had been allocated five farms near
Harare and planned to develop five thousand units to be offered to ZANU
PF supporters only.
Several other ZANU PF officials
especially members of the women's league and the Zimbabwe National War
Veterans Association were also given the farms.
This is not the
first time that ZANU PF has allocated land to its supporters and top
official ahead of ordinary Zimbabweans.
A special report prepared
by Minister for Special Affairs Responsible for Lands, Land Reform and
Resettlement, John Nkomo, which was leaked to the Press last year said that
senior government and ruling party politicians had kept most of the best
land seized from white farmers.
Many had as much as five farms each
according to the report. The ZANU PF politicians have so far ignored calls
by Mugabe to surrender the extra farms in line with the government's stated
one-man-one-farm policy.
Nkomo yesterday said he was still to
receive a full report from his officials about how the farms acquired by the
government in the last month had been distributed.
He said: "It
could have happened but I cannot comment any further as I am yet to receive
a full report. We will institute investigations if necessary." -
ZimOnline
HARARE - Top Harare lawyer, Edith Mushore, yesterday took a
swipe at Information and Publicity Minister Jonathan Moyo during the trial
of four journalists charged with criminal defamation over a story alleging
that President Robert Mugabe had grabbed an Air Zimbabwe plane for
a private holiday in the Far East.
The Zimbabwe Independent
journalists, former editor Iden Wetherell, former news editor Vincent
Kahiya, and reporters Dumisani Muleya and Itai Dzamara, are facing charges
of criminal defamation. The state argues that the story portrayed Mugabe as
reckless and was therefore defamatory.
Mushore attacked Moyo during
the hearing of the application for discharge by the journalists. The
journalists have been out on bail since January.
Mushore said:
"The overzealous junior Minister of Information confirmed in the statements
carried out by the Herald of January 10 that the story was true and that he
had established that it been sourced from Air Zimbabwe.
"He
says in the Herald story that there are criminals at Air Zimbabwe working
with these British stoogies by giving them information. And he said time was
up for these so-called criminals at Air Zimbabwe. But the junior minister
had alleged in the earlier paragraphs that the story was a mischievous
fabrication," Mushowe said.
Mushore told the magistrate that the
court had to discharge the accused because the state had failed to prove
beyond Moyo's "outrageous allegations" that the story in question was
defamatory.
"In fact, it is my respectful submission that instead,
the overzealous junior minister is the one who has defamed these journalists
who had simply discharged their duty of informing the public. Their story
was true as clearly shown," she said.
The journalists were
arrested in January following the publication of the story and were detained
for more than 48 hours.
More than 100 journalists, the majority
from the private media have been arrested under the draconian Access to
Information and Protection of Privacy Act.
The magistrate is
expected to rule on the application for discharge next month. -
ZimOnline
Desperation drives thousands onto the streets in
Bulawyo Sat 2 October 2004
BULAWAYO - Each day Vusa Mkandla
commutes to the city centre to do business. He carries with him a torn but
durable shopping bag commonly known as "Renkini" after the city's main rural
bus terminus where such bags are a common piece of luggage among rural bound
travellers.
Inside the bag is an assortment of sweets, biscuits and
snacks packed in a small sturdy cardboard box that serves as Vusi's display
unit. Vusi is one of hundreds of both licensed and unlicensed vendors
operating in Bulawayo's Central Business District.
The vendors
sell a wide range of products that include light bulbs, face creams,
scouring powder, imported chicory, soap, tinned foods, fruits and vegetables
and trinkets bought cheaply from Chinese wholesalers.
Most of the
vendors are unemployed youths or retrenched workers trying desperately to
earn a living without resorting to crime. The councillor for Ward 1 under
which the city centre falls, Phil Lamola says poverty has forced many
residents to turn to street vending for survival.
"All these people
on the streets selling stuff are trying to survive. Some have been
retrenched and the only thing that they can think of is buying vegetables,
stand at a street corner and sell," notes Cllr Lamola.
When
Bulawayo City Council permitted vending in the city centre, the target
beneficiaries were vulnerable groups such as unemployed women who were
allocated bays at designated points to sell fruits and vegetables.
According to the city's by-laws, vending bays are allocated to individuals
to sell specific goods. The bays should be manned by the person who is
registered with council or a close relative.
But, desperation is
forcing other groups of residents on the streets especially unemployed
youths and retrenched workers to hawk. Some workers are also hiring youths
to sell goods for them to try and supplement their meagre
incomes.
The influx of vendors is however, creating numerous
problems for the local authority. Cllr Lamola accuses the vendors of
breaking city by-laws by operating from undesignated areas and littering.
"The problem is that these vendors are breaking the by-laws and end
up playing hide and seek with our security officers."
Dumisani Mpofu is an unlicensed vendor who sells watches and watch batteries
from his pockets. He recounts the numerous dramatic escapes he has made from
municipal police when they swoop down on the vendors and confiscate their
wares. Sometimes he is caught but he considers it part of the
job.
"I lose goods sometimes but that's the price I pay for doing
this kind of business," he explains while at the same time trying to sell a
watch to a passer-by.
Cllr Lamola says the vendors can reclaim
their goods after paying fines. But most vendors say it is a waste of time
as there are no records of what goods are taken form individual
vendors.
Cllr Lamola acknowledges that the system of confiscating
goods from vendors is flawed because no records are made of what is taken
from individual vendors.
Dumisani says he has not bothered to
register with council because he would be allocated a bay that is far away
from his customers. Dumisani and other vendors who spoke to ZimOnline are
all not proud to be on the streets but say they are doing it for
the money. On average, the vendors make about $40 000 on a good
day.
One vendor who declined to be named said: "I used to be a
general hand in the industries there until I was retrenched two years ago. I
had to find something to do or else my family would have starved to
death."
Additionally, the vendors are blamed for blocking city
pavements thus making it difficult for shoppers to move freely and window
shop.
Cllr Lamola says it would not be prudent for council to build
additional vending bays as the number of vendors is bound to fall once the
economy picks up.
In any case, he points out that the
municipality is already cash-strapped and would have problems raising money
to build the stalls. "The situation on the streets is reflecting the
true political and economic dynamics of the country once the economy picks
up and there is employment creation, then we will have fewer vendors on our
streets," he says.
Until then, it's business as usual on the
streets of Bulawayo where residents can buy almost all their basic
provisions from street vendors. - ZimOnline
Zimbabwean artists battle not to offend political gods Sat
2 October 2004
BULAWAYO - The country's second largest city was
once known as Zimbabwe's cultural capital. Considered an urban arts hub,
Bulawayo drew actors, musicians, writers and directors all seemingly bent on
outdoing each other in producing the most provocative and
challenging works ever.
But things have changed. Government
censorship and financial constraints are slowly tightening the noose,
dampening artists' creativity while making it increasingly difficult for
them to survive financially.
Actor Stynx Mhlanga says the reason
Zimbabwean theatre is "inactive", is because experienced theatre artists are
accepting government-commissioned television work in order to feed their
families. This, Mhlanga says, leaves them with little time to help stage
independent productions.
Several local performers,
including groups like the Makokoba-based Siyaya Performing Arts, seldom
entertain Zimbabwean audiences because they sign-up for international
festivals, where earnings are higher.
Mhlanga is critical of fellow
artists who accept commissioned work. He accuses them of "playing it safe".
As a result, they fail to express themselves honestly, and
freely.
"It becomes really difficult for poets, or actors, to
portray what is happening in their societies, to mirror what is going on,
without ruffling feathers here and there. With the censorship board around,
you know you're being watched," says Mhlanga.
"Many are writing
because someone is funding them. So they end up writing what the sponsor
wants to hear," says Mhlanga.
Former Daily News Arts and
Entertainment editor Maxwell Sibanda, says the current crisis in the arts is
purely by design. In an essay entitled "Politics and Music in Zimbabwe" he
argues that government first bans songs and artworks deemed critical of its
policies.
This stance has seen the banning from the airwaves works
by Thomas Mapfumo, Leonard Zhakata and Raymond Majongwe. Earlier this year
the board also banned the staging of the play "Super Patriots and Morons",
as it was deemed too critical of government.
Sibanda says the
government's second tactic is to replace banned items with its own
commissioned music, jingles and videos, all of which are played incessantly
by the state broadcaster.
Although the tactic has been successful
in forcing artists to either toe the line, or force them off the airwaves,
Sibanda says that this approach is not sustainable in the long
run.
Musician, Joshua Khulekani, admits he has to avoid certain
topics to ensure his compositions are played on national radio and
television.
He said: "When I compose a song I have to revise that
song over and over again to make sure that there is nothing that will put me
in trouble."
A producer with Ingwe Studio, a Bulawayo recording
house, says a growing number of performers are "singing for their supper" to
ensure survival. Zenzele Ndebele said musicians are exercising
self-censorship to remain afloat, thus ensuring continued airplay of their
music which (they hope) will boost sales.
"They are now
supposed to sing about unity, the land and glorifying other people. But this
limits the artists because they are not allowed to sing about anything else.
They certainly cannot criticise the government," he says.
Ndebele says musicians are surviving on money earned through participating
in state-sponsored galas.
The few artists who have chosen to
"remain true" to their artistic values are finding the going
tough.
Mhlanga, an accomplished playwright and producer, is
struggling to gather enough resources to stage his next play, entitled
"Fresh from the Chapel". He says he is still looking for funds to stage the
play.
Mhlanga says Zimbabwean artists are battling to find a voice
that will not offend the political and censorship gods, but at the same time
championing the people's struggle for peace, freedom and justice. -
ZimOnline
Herald Reporters Fuel queues resurfaced in
Harare yesterday, a situation which industry sources blamed on temporary
disruptions in the fuel transport chain and panic buying.
Oil
companies said fuel was being pumped from Beira to Msasa and two trains
would soon be in Beitbridge. Deliveries to service stations should start
this weekend.
Corporate bulk customers have been told privately by
their suppliers that their orders will be fulfilled early next
week.
The chairman of the Petroleum Marketers' Association of
Zimbabwe, Mr Masimba Kambarami, said there was no need to panic over the
fuel situation because supplies were being pumped to Msasa depot from Beira.
"We also have two trains coming from Beitbridge carrying fuel and these will
be able to cater for areas in the south of the country.
"I
would like to urge people to avoid hoarding fuel as this will create
problems when the situation is about to normalise owing to the supplies that
are coming into the country from Beira and Beitbridge," he
said.
Mr Kambarami said the fuel that was coming into the
country was ordered two weeks ago but there had been problems with its
transportation.
"It was a question of logistics and transportation,
but that has since been sorted out and motorists should expect an
improvement of the situation over the weekend. We have four million litres
of diesel and four million litres of petrol destined for Msasa depot," he
said.
The fuel shortages come at a time when the central bank has
moved into the National Oil Company of Zimbabwe to investigate the
procurement and distribution of fuel in the wake of allegations of massive
corruption at the national fuel procurer.
It also comes on the
expiry of the deadline given to 24 fuel importers by the Government to
submit documents relating to fuel importation, failing which they would be
de-registered and handed over to the police.
As a result of the
fuel shortages, thousands of commuters were stranded last night as there
were no buses to take them home. Most commuter omnibuses were queueing for
fuel.
There were long and winding queues of commuters at Market
Square, Fourth Street and Speke Avenue bus terminuses.
Among
the few service stations where fuel was available, there was chaos with
private motorists jostling with commuter omnibus drivers to be the first to
reach the pump.
The erratic fuel supplies seem to have hit commuter
omnibus operators hardest with drivers saying they were now spending more
time in fuel queues than on the road. Others have withdrawn their services
altogether to press for higher fares.
One pirate taxi driver
who plies the City-Avondale route said: "I have not worked since morning
because I am trying to get just a few litres of petrol to get back on the
road."
A motorist who had spent two hours queueing for petrol said
the prevailing situation tempted people to hoard fuel, which would result in
artificial shortages.
"Some of the petrol attendants are
selling the fuel to people who come with containers while we are out here
waiting in the queue," said Mr Talkmore Chisesu.
At a service
station along Mbuya Nehanda Street, fuel was being sold to drivers with
containers while commuter omnibuses blocked streets after a commotion broke
out.
The Minister of Energy and Power Development, Cde July Moyo,
said it was too early to say whether the Friday deadline his ministry had
given to 24 fuel importers to submit documents relating to fuel importation
had been heeded.
"We will wait and see when the deadline
passes, otherwise we will send the wrong signals," said Cde
Moyo.
Cde Moyo early this week warned fuel importers that they
risked being deregistered and prosecuted if they did not submit their fuel
importation documents by yesterday.
A Zimbabwe court on Friday
ordered the release without charge of 46 women who were arrested earlier
this week for staging a protest march between the second city of Bulawayo
and Harare, a lawyer said.
Seven others, including prominent activist
Jenni Williams, who were arrested on Wednesday in Harare, have yet to make a
court appearance.
"They have been released. The magistrate ruled that
there was no basis for them to answer those charges," lawyer Chipo Hama said
by phone from Chegutu, the small town where the women were arrested on
Tuesday.
The women staged a march of more than 400km to protest a
proposed law on banning foreign human rights group and cutting off funding
to groups promoting rights and democracy.
Police arrested the 46
women on Tuesday in Chegutu, about 100km southwest of the capital, for
violating the tough security laws, notably "disturbing the peace, security
or order of the public".
Their colleagues, who pressed on to the capital,
were arrested on arrival.
Police said the protesters had failed to obtain
permission for the protest march as required under the country's security
laws. - Sapa-AFP
'SA land problem 10 times worse than Zim' By Eric
Naki, Political Editor ALICE - The issue of land in South Africa and the
problems surrounding it are 10 times greater than that of
Zimbabwe.
This is according to SACP secretary-general Dr Blade Nzimande,
who delivered the inaugural Joe Slovo Memorial Lecture at the University of
Fort Hare yesterday. Nzimande said that in the party's "Red October
campaign" that was launched yesterday, people would be mobilised to "go into
the streets to demand land".
The process of accumulating agricultural
land had not fundamentally changed in the past 10 years and agrarian reform
was moving too slowly.
Some of the worst features of the political
economy and agriculture that had existed under apartheid still
existed.
Farm workers were continuing to suffer as government's post 1994
economic policies had strengthened rather than transformed land accumulation
in the country.
Nzimande said the "willing buyer, willing seller"
market- based model had not worked and alternative models should be
developed urgently.
As it stood the policy was a major obstacle to
accelerating land reform.
The most critical challenge for the second
decade of democracy was to "change the lives of millions of the poor of our
country".
"The transformation of the countryside is an absolute priority
in this regard," Nzimande said.
At the current slow pace, land reform
in South Africa would take up to 200 years to achieve the targeted 30
percent transfer to Africans.
Speaking on the theme: Back to Entabeni -
Accelerating land and agrarian transformation in South Africa, Nzimande said
the country's agricultural economy was dominated by large
agri-businesses.
Purchasing farms was almost impossible because white
farmers had inflated land prices to the extent that they were out of reach
for black people.
"There is widespread evidence of inflation of land
prices by white farmers," he said.
Agriculture in general, and small
and medium farmers in particular, represented "some of the most backward
sections of capital in South Africa, and the one most strenuously resisting
transformation", Nzimande said.
Black farm workers still suffered under
poor working conditions and low wages.
"Not only are these workers
being paid starvation wages, but they are in many instances, together with
their families, daily subjected to all forms of abuse, including
violence."
Nzimande said although 47 percent of all cattle, 12 percent of
sheep and 60 percent of goats were owned by blacks, they produced only five
percent of all red meat in South Africa.
He said the draft charter
for black agricultural empowerment, the "AgriBEE draft charter" had some
serious limitations.
It was silent on the role of farm workers and the
poor in the development and finalisation of the charter.
"However,
significant as these reforms and interventions are, they have not
fundamentally (or even remotely) transformed the current accumulation regime
and the political economy of the countryside. Class relations still remain
the same," Nzimande said. "Perhaps the biggest weakness is absence of an
industrial strategy for agriculture."
IF the method of
choosing a successor to Robert Mugabe as president of Zanu PF is clear-cut,
there should be no fuss on the matter.
If Mugabe were to step down
suddenly, the only vice-president in the party, Joseph Msika, would succeed
him. Similarly, if fate were to suddenly intervene and Mugabe was no longer
able to continue as president, Msika would still succeed him - until such
time as a presidential election has to be held.
The president
of Zanu PF would be the president of the republic as well, unless the party
changed its constitution.
But the speculation continues unabated.
In December, at the Zanu PF people's congress or conference, Mugabe may or
may not announce he is stepping down. In that event, there might or might
not be an election for a new president.
Joseph Msika says he is
ready to step into Mugabe's shoes if that happens. Some party heavyweights
are saying this is not necessarily the exact scenario they would wish for.
They would prefer an election, in which the best man or woman would
win.
This uncertainty is not politically healthy for the country.
But even more seriously, it is almost fatal for the country's enfeebled
economy.
Foreign investors are already wary of pouring money into a
country which is a virtual pariah state over its notorious record of
misgovernance.
The uncertainty over its future leadership can only
raise its level of unsuitability as an investment destination. Mugabe seems
to take a certain perverse pleasure in letting this game of guessing
continue.
At one time he says will serve his full republican
presidential term until 2008.
At another time, he seems to
prefer retirement before then. The speculation is that he will do this at
the big indaba in December.
It would help the country tremendously
if Mugabe was prepared to be categorical in his future plans. We know he is
concerned about the stability in Zanu PF in his absence at the
helm.
This is most unfortunate, for he seems to have no faith at
all in any of the people likely to step into his shoes. He wants to
hand-pick his successor, which could be tragic for this
country.
Mugabe will most likely settle on someone almost as
"Mugabe" as he is. Many people would say one Mugabe in a generation is
probably enough.
The duty of a president who loves his country more
than he loves himself is to ensure the nation is safe after his
departure.
Mugabe can do this by stating categorically what his
future plans are, long before the December conference.
If
people in and out of Zimbabwe know for certain which way the wind will blow,
it could help the country politically and economically.
This
uncertainty may destroy whatever potential for economic recovery has existed
since Mugabe first indicated he would not serve out his full term. -
Editorial
The Chief Executive Officer and Editor in Chief of the
Zimbabwe Mirror Newspapers Group, Dr Ibbo Mandaza has acknowledged that the
MDC insert that appeared in the Daily Mirror yesterday had been construed as
a an advertorial flyer rather than as a newspaper it turned out to be and
was carried in the spirit in which other flyers are regularly carried in the
paper. Dr Mandaza was commenting on complaints from some sections of the
public, asserting that the MDC newsletter said that it The Changing Times-
Newsletter of the Movement for Democratic Change, was advertorial in content
and that, unlike other newsletters such as Homelink, amounted to a newspaper
publication. In a statement, Dr Ibbo Mandaza said, "It is the policy of the
Zimbabwe Newspapers Mirror Group to cater for all political advertisements
from all political parties, and other advertisers in the political arena,
and this has been done on several occasions before. Indeed, the Mirror has
done so before and will continue to do so in the future without fear or
favour and in the interests of democracy and multi-partyism in Zimbabwe.
However, the Zimbabwe Mirror Newspapers Group regrets the ANY INCONVENIENCE
CAUSED to any of our readers with respect to what appears to be an
inadvertent carriage of a purported newspaper publication on the part of a
political party."
HARARE, Oct. 2 (Xinhuanet) -- A Zimbabwean
politician has called on the United States and Britain to apologize for
their wrongs before the world revolts against them, according to the
official New Ziana on Saturday.
Kisinoti Mukwazhe, the aspiring
Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) candidate for
Masvingo Central province,was quoted as saying that it was time the two
'bullies' sought forgiveness from nations they had wronged.
"America and Britain must beg for pardon from Zimbabwe for interfering and
barring the country from accessing donor funds forthe development of the
country," he said. "They have not only sabotaged our economic advancement,
but also brought a lot of confusion on a united nation," he
added.
Mukwazhe also warned Zimbabweans to be wary of some
opposition parties that pretend to be pan-African yet preaching the ideals
ofthe white man.
"We all know that the opposition Movement
for Democratic Change(MDC) is a British-sponsored party, so why vote for a
party that will protect the interests of Britain and not of Zimbabwe," he
said.
"It is encouraging that the MDC has seen its weakness,
hence the decision to withdraw from next year's elections and we also hope
America and Britain will do likewise because one of these days all countries
of the world will revolt against them," he said.
Meanwhile,
Mukwazhe has vowed to fight factionalism in MasvingoCentral and make the
place one of the most united in Zimbabwe.
He said if elected
into power, he would help the people by upgrading roads and start
income-generating projects.
The ruling party, ZANU-PF, goes
into primary elections late this year to choose candidates for next year's
parliamentary elections.
Mukwazhe will fight it out with
Eddison Zvobgo Junior and Daniel Shumba for the Masvingo Central ticket to
represent ZANU-PF.Enditem
Trip to the doctor may cost an arm and a leg October 02
2004 at 01:27PM
Harare - Doctors in Zimbabwe have doubled their
consultation fees - the second such hike in recent months. Their move puts
medical care well out of the reach of most of the population, a newspaper
reported on Saturday.
A visit to a specialist doctor could now cost
four times the average monthly salary of a domestic worker, according to the
new fees published in the state-run Herald newspaper.
Specialist doctors will now charge up to Z$350 000 for a visit. A domestic
worker in Harare earns slightly more than Z$90 000 per month.
A
visit to a general practitioner will cost up to Z$160 000, the paper
added.
Zimbabwe's health system has been hard-hit by shortages
of foreign currency needed to buy medicines, as well as the country's
economic decline over the past five years which has prompted many doctors
and nurses to leave the country.
One in every four adults among
the country's 12 million people is infected with HIV, with the epidemic
claiming the lives of at least 2 000 people per week, according to official
figures. - Sapa-AFP
Tears as pet giraffe is shot and eaten October 02 2004
at 11:23AM
By Peta Thornycroft
Harare - A week before
his third birthday, Sunshine, a pet giraffe, was shot last Tuesday by a game
warden, then braaied and eaten by police officers, a headmaster and primary
school children in Zimbabwe, 120km from the South African
border.
Several parents have expressed dismay that their children,
from Mabeka Primary School in West Nicholson, were taken on an outing by
their school principal, and watched a National Parks official shoot the tame
giraffe at point-blank range.
Thea Akeroyd, who looked after
the orphaned infant giraffe after its mother was poached in October 2001,
was in tears on Friday as she recalled the incident, which has shocked the
community.
"I was in Bulawayo at the time. When I returned home, I
was told that Sunshine had been taken away by a senior policeman, a
uniformed policewoman, the headmaster of the school, and a bunch of kids,
some of them very young.
"My husband Gary returned a couple of
hours after me, and went to the school which is next door to us to fetch
Sunshine. He found them drinking alcohol, and cooking our giraffe. They were
loading some of the meat into a truck.
"I have reported this to
the police, I have the case number, and they are investigating. Some people
from National Parks and some important people in the district have been in
contact with us and are very angry."
Akeroyd said in June she was
visited at Tods Guest House, owned by her husband's family, by Assistant
Commissioner Ephraim Katya who told her she needed a permit to keep the
giraffe as a pet.
"He had been worrying us for a couple of years
because he wanted to take this property for a high person in government, and
we didn't move.
"I went to Bulawayo to National Parks to get a
permit, but they just laughed at me, because there is no such permit, there
is no rule like that."
Akeroyd said Sunshine was a local celebrity
and would have been domesticated if he had been able to get inside their
home.
"He used to try and come inside, but of course he couldn't,
but it made us laugh, and we kept him in a pen close to the
house.
"All the kids around here loved him. When visitors came from
South Africa they loved him. People all around were used to him because he
enjoyed human company. So when they came to take him to be killed, he just
went with them, he wasn't scared."
She said they had witnesses
who saw their long-necked pet shot at point-blank range.
Assistant Commissioner Katya from West Nicholson police on Friday confirmed
that Sunshine had been killed at the primary school. "He was shot by the man
from National Parks, not by the police. We did not eat his meat," he
said.
.. This article was originally published on page 1 of
Saturday Star on October 02, 2004