COMMERCIAL FARMERS' UNION
FARM INVASIONS UPDATE
15 MAY 2000
At the time of writing 1301 properties have been affected by farm
invasions, 846 of which are currently occupied.
Masvingo
Save Conservancy - A meeting was held yesterday in Bikita, and Mr Mawere
has offered to bus people into the northern parts of the Conservancy.
The war vets appear to be increasing the pressure. The situation remains
the same on Sango Ranch and apparently throughout the Conservancy. The
farm manager at Masapas Ranch still has to go through a daily roadblock
and searches on the property being conducted by invaders.
Mwenezi - On Klipdrift Ranch numbers are estimated at 230 people. They
have pegged on 11 paddocks on the Ranch. The owner has been instructed
not to prevent them from removing cattle from the paddocks. Grazing
problems are now being observed. Demands of meat are being made on
Kleinbegin Ranch, and 5 cattle have been snared on Lumbergia Ranch.
Gutu/Chatsworth - A farmer has been threatened and has moved off his
property. Demands have been made on another farmer for meat and the use
of a tractor. Three invasions took place over the weekend.
Masvingo East/Central - A farmer has received a letter cautioning him,
and another has received a threat and moved off his property. A third
farmer remains off his property after being threatened, and a fourth has
been instructed to remove all his cattle from the property.
Inspector Makanda has informed the office that there appears to be a
"con-team" in action. Their modus operandi is to approach the farmer
and bribe him by remove the invaders off the property for a sum.
Captain Zimuto has stated that he is unhappy that farmers are not coming
to meet with him as previously requested. He said that he had made the
effort to meet with them peaceably, and that now he was not responsible
for their actions. He also stated that he was not happy with the
presence of security guards on the farm as they were not "wild animals"
that needed the threat of arms. He also said that they were wanting to
plant their crops and needed land to be given to them, but now that the
farmers had not met with him, he again was not responsible for the
action of the men.
Mashonaland Central
Centenary - Invaders arrived at the homestead of Whistlefield Farm while
the owners were out and entered the house. The owners returned to find
a beast had been slaughtered and the invaders demanding food. A large
group (mainly women) arrived at Hereford Farm wanting to peg. Two
teachers and a worker were badly beaten after a Zanu (PF) rally on
Hillbury Farm.
Mvurwi - A truck and trailer with no lights was taken from Msonedi Farm
to transport workers to Bennett's farm, but with no lights they could
not go very far, so diverted to Lucknow Farm. The MP for the area was
attending a meeting in the Tsatsi area, so was called to address the
group. He arrived with CIO and CID and the situation was defused and
the crowd dispersed. Holmehead Farm had a short work stoppage today
which has been resolved, but the daily quota of flowers were destroyed.
Five labourers were assaulted on Four Streams Farm.
Tsatsi - A large rally was held yesterday at Chaddesly Farm with over
4000 people in attendance, addressed by the MP Dr Chris Kuruneri. There
were no problems, although the subsequent meeting with commercial
farmers was cut short in order for Dr Kuruneri to sort out the problem
at Lucknow Farm in Mvurwi. Msasa Farm was searched for an arms cache
and unlicensed weapons. Two unlicensed weapons were found. A group of
war vets from Pearson Farm arrived at Musadone Farm but were
non-hostile.
Glendale - Glendouglas Farm was revisited.
Mtepatepa - A worker from Bodele Farm attending a soccer match at
Tarlington Farm was beaten up.
Harare West/Nyabira - There are at least seven different factions
operating in the Harare West/Nyabira area. Ballineety Farm has been
visited by 3 different groups of invaders. It is reported that Mufokosi
Township has split into two factions, both claiming the same area, which
could become a problem. Mount Hampden Farm has been revisited. There
have been several break-ins reported and it is thought that the criminal
element is taking advantage of the situation.
Mashonaland East
Macheke/Virginia - The weekend was fairly quiet, but assaults in the
compounds are ongoing. Another three farmers in the area were
threatened.
Wedza - There was pegging on Devon yesterday. On Dudley, the owner
reported that peggers had redirected some of the peggers from Rotsvlei,
which is apparently oversubscribed. They were sent away by Prince. On
Sunday two war vets and some of the farm labourers pegged. They then
left. On Chard pegging was going on yesterday and three houses were
built. 4 houses were built on Bickleigh and Budleigh, and there were
threats of violence on labour. 3 houses were built on Leeds but there
is no invader presence on the farm. On Poltimore a large number of
substantial dwellings have been built.
Harare South/Beatrice - Quiet but a number of farmers remain off their
farms following threats. Propol and the Provincial War Vet Chairman are
expected to address war vets today.
Marondera - on Rotsvlei extensive pegging for residential plots is
ongoing. Rufaro was visited again yesterday. Main Farm was visited
yesterday. Dr Sekeramayi addressed people yesterday in Svosve Communal
Land, asking them to desist from violence and disruption of farm work.
Mashonaland West (North)
Karoi - Rydings School is open and about 70% of pupils are back at
school, and the rest returning. Rex is still in custody in Karoi, where
he continues to direct operations. War vets put up a road block at the
junction of Buffalo Downs and the Harare-Chirundu road, and asked people
why they were not at the local rally. People were made to salute before
they could proceed. The Farmers' Association Chairman has been meeting
with Dispol and war vets to attempt to return half a dozen farmers to
their farms.
Doma - There was a new invasion on Whindale Ranch, and pegging on
Victory Estate.
Chinhoyi - There have been rallies all over the area and a work stoppage
at Chenga Farm.
Banket - A new invasion yesterday where the farmer forced to sing and
apologise, and then told to leave his property within 30 days.
Raffingora - Unreasonable demands are being made on Mvurachena Farm. The
war vet is demanding a house, food, meat, beer, cigarettes, and a
vehicle to collect people from other farms.
Mutorashanga is quiet, and we have had no report from Tengwe and
Trelawney.
Mashonaland West (South)
The labour on Blackmorvale Farm are being forced to pay $50.00 each in
order to get land. Tree cutting is going on on a large scale and they
are settling in it appears for good. The farmer's wife was on her way
to Harare yesterday when her car windows were smashed and handbag and
cellphone etc stolen in full sight of the police. When she got to the
police 100m away they told her that she was causing a traffic jam and
that she must proceed.
A few farmers in the region have offered land to Government.
Selous - Yesterday farm workers were told to leave Pilmuir Farm and go
to Alfa Farm where they had to peg plots and build huts. The war vets
threatened to assault them if their huts were not built. They also
pegged on Duntocher Farm and went on to Cromdale Farm which is
derelict.
Norton - there appears to be a new group moving in from the Mhondoro
communal area who have no contact with the other War Veterans currently
in the Norton area. They moved on to Fort Martin Farm, left a presence
there, then moved on to Mont Marie where they have also left presence.
Today there is a group pegging on Gowrie Farm, and the manager of
Parklands has moved off the farm. On both Saturday and Sunday ambushes
with weapons were evidently set up on the farm. Harvesting is being
allowed but planting has been threatened.
Suri-Suri - Yesterday a farmer was prevented from fetching wood for
grading and told to take his tobacco out of the shed so that the
invaders could live there. The police resolved the issue.
Chegutu - On Bexhill Farm invaders have broken a lock on the gate and
are currently living in the homestead with other employees who are they
are telling to move out. They have stripped the trees of fruit and are
preventing the pump from being moved to supply the cattle with water.
Matabeleland
Rallies were held over the weekend but the situation on farms is quiet.
Midlands
There has been an escalation of invasions in the Shurugwi and Gweru
areas. About 10 farmers are off their properties. A war veteran advance
party has warned four farms in the Somhabula area of impending
invasions. In Shurugwi there has been one extortionist offering
protection and the CIO have now been informed of this. A farmers has
had meetings with war vets, CIO, police etc to establish liaison and
procedure.
Manicaland
Nyanga/Troutbeck - There was a new invasion on Nyanga Downs Orchards.
Invaders are making demands and have said that they are going to have
groups on all the farms in Troutbeck. The owner of Clairemont Orchards
was summoned to a meeting this morning with the invaders on the
property. They informed him that they are taking half the farm - the
undeveloped areas, and they will not interrupt the farming. They want
the workers to participate in their land distribution as well as the
people in the surrounding area, they do not want to be interrupted in
their "winter land distribution programme".
The owner of Pulpwood Estates has already sold (in the past)
approximately half his farm for resettlement purposes. People in that
resettlement area demanded more land, were told by the police that they
already had enough land, then they came back and demanded land again.
Chipinge - Three new invasions took place on Watershed Farm, Reitvlei
Farm and Skyline Estate.
Odzi - Kopjie Farm was invaded and the foreman assaulted and Wilton Farm
was invaded and pegged.