Monday, May 15, 2000
Letter from Zimbabwe
Dear All
First of all thank you
all for the love and support.
We went to Allan Dunn's funeral
yesterday.
The Service was in the Highlands Presby Church and the crowd
was huge.
It has been bleak and cold in Zim for the last week with a
cold rain
ever since Allan died. We were there early and sat with VVV
and
NNN and NNN's brother DDD. In fact DDD had treated
Allan's
back on the beach. LLL and GGG had all the children. VVV
and
NNN had been on the beach with the Dunns at Umhlanga a few
short
weeks previous. The Service was quite the most moving I have ever
been
to. Father Gibbs a Roman Catholic priest who does much good work
in
the Mondoro rural area was magnificent as were the three
speakers.
Mike Swan and Guy Watson-Smith did their eulogies as
neighbours and
old friends and Johnny Riley Allan's brother in law did
the final and
thanked everybody. They each hit the spot and were
absolutely
outstanding. Allan was for those of you that did not know him
one of
the most wonderful men we know. He arrived in Africa penniless
and has
built one of the most productive farms in the country. He
introduced a
new beef breed to this country and served his community and
country in
so many ways. He stood as a independent Rural Councillor
against the
might of the ruling party and won. His sin seems to have
been that he
supported Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC. How deep this
country has
sunk in the the three months since Mugabe unleashed his
Cultural
Revolution that a man like Allan can be murdered because he
stood up
and said what he believed and what he stood for was democracy.
He had
no racial bias and no racial agenda. The nonracial nature of
the
mourners was testament to that. We drew great comfort all of us
I
think from the Service and from the strength of Sherri and her
three
lovely daughters. We then went on to the CFU Complex out in
Malborough
and met up with so many old friends and the Riley clan were
of course
in great evidence. There will be so many stories to be told
when this
period is over some amusing and some real tales of courage.
Maria
Stevens was there and I will be getting a copy of the ITN program
that
we were both on to her. There is another story of immense courage.
She
has been left virtually penniless by the looting and burning of
her
home when VVV was slain. But she says she has no hate only
enough
anger to keep her going and she is not leaving this country.
Ben
Purcell-Gilpin and his wife Dr. Sue Parry who has committed her
whole
life to assisting Aids orphans have had to move ot town because
of
death threats. Death threats have been issued to all manner of
people
for who have had the courage to stand up for democracy. People
like
Mike Auret whose only sin is that he is speaking out against
injustice
as he always has done. I weep for this country now. However we
draw
great comfort from the fact that most Zimbabweans are as appalled
as
we are by what is going on. The land issue has been used as a peg
to
hang things on but it is all about naked greed and ambition and
a
determination to hang on to power at all costs. As we left the CFu
in
the late afternoon the sun came out for the first time this week and
I
thought to myself soon it must come out again for this beloved land
of ours.
We have decided that our social life has been stagnating
for too long so today we have an old-style S' lunch with the
Bs the Ts the Zs and VVV and NNN and their three and
GGG and LLL with LLL's two. We hope our lunch is not interrupted by unwelcome guests. GGG had his first visitation
on G farm on Friday with a promise to return to peg their plots
on Monday. Seeing we have a letter from the Govt saying they did not
want that farm and giving us permission to buy it less than a year ago
you can see how farcical the whole thing has become. Our invaders are
not here currently and we hope they stay away. So we hang in.
For the
time being at any rate leaving is not an option for us. But some
people have had enough and if they can move are taking steps to do so.
We have too much Africa in our bones I think.
Love to you all Please
keep writing'
X and Y