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Zimbabwe: Farm Invasions Continue Amid Fears of Military Deployment

Alex Bell

5 January 2010

Farm attacks are continuing this New Year, amid very real fears that the military is being deployed on properties across the country in an effort to complete Robert Mugabe's so called land 'reform' programme.

This weekend, a militia led onslaught on commercial farms in Rusape saw a local farming family come under siege, with two people being assaulted by a mob of land invaders. Rudolf du Toit and his South African wife were both physically attacked on Sunday after almost two days of threats and intimidation by a mob on their farm in Rusape. The couple are now recovering from their ordeal and are still on their land after the intervention of South African Ambassador Mlungisi Makalima. Makalima apparently managed to stabilise the situation after pleas from Mrs du Toit for his assistance.

This most recent incident in Rusape has followed a number of similar attacks in the area. Last week, farmer Gavin Woest was evicted from his property by a gang working for former lands Minister Didymus Mutasa. According to the President of the Commercial Farmers Union (CFU), Deon Theron, Mutasa tried to force Woest to sign an illegal contract to hand over 20% of his tobacco crop from last year, and a further 20% of the coming year's crop. But Woest refused to sign and found himself driven off his land. It is known that Mutasa already owns more than ten farms in the area, proving once again that the land attacks have little to do with empowerment or reform, and all to do with greed.

The Woest's eviction came mere days after a South African farming family was forced to flee their property on Christmas Eve. Ray Finaughty and his family from Manda Farm, were given three hours to pack up their belongings and flee the property, following days of intimidation and harassment by a gang of suspected youth militia. His farming partner, Richard Harland, who remained on the property with his wife, has faced days of intimidation and threats since then, with thugs barricading the couple in their home. Finaughty meanwhile was awarded a High Court order on Tuesday to safely return to the farm, but there is no guarantee yet that the order will be enough.

Finaughty was one of more than 70 commercial farmers who took the government to the human rights court of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), over the land grab campaign. In 2008 SADC ruled that the land grab was unlawful, and ordered the Mugabe government to ensure the protection of farmers and their rights to their land. But the ruling has been openly flouted, and land invasions, taking place under the guise of so called land 'reform', have intensified this year.

The ongoing land attacks have also left tens of thousands of people unemployed, as farm workers and their families have also been forced to leave the properties along with their employers. The General Agriculture and Plantation Workers Union reported last year that more than 60 000 people have been left destitute as a direct result of the land grab initiative in 2009, since the attacks began in earnest last February. The figure adds to the already crippling unemployment rate of more than 94% in the country. But despite this, there has been no effort by either the unity government or by SADC to stop the attacks that are having such far flung implications for the country.

The CFU's Theron on Tuesday voiced widespread fears about military deployment across the country, adding he cannot yet confirm if this is true. But he explained that the possibilities are very real, with Attorney General Johannes Tomana last week echoing previous sentiments vocalised by Robert Mugabe that the military would be used to drive out white farmers. Some media reports have already said that army deployment has been ordered by the Joint Operations Command (JOC), through Tomana. Theron explained that if the government does allow this to happen, "they are openly admitting that they have no control and there is no rule of law in the country."

Theron continued that ZANU PF Mashonaland West land chair person Temba Mliswa has threatened local land beneficiaries in the area with eviction if they lease out their land to white farmers. Mliswa has also ordered war veterans and party militia to resist a proposed land audit in the province until targeted 'shopping' sanctions imposed by the West on ZANU PF officials are lifted. Mliswa was addressing an agriculture meeting, which was attended by war veterans and ZANU PF militia in Karoi on Monday. He told the meeting that "the government must repossess all farms owned by blacks who are leasing them out to former white commercial farmers because it is against the law."

Mliswa is the Vice President of a business lobby group Affirmative Action, which has previously threatened to take over white owned companies to empower blacks. The same group issued threats to international food giant Nestlé last year, when the company ended its commercial relationship with the Gushungo dairy farm owned by Grace Mugabe.

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John aka NitroX

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Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
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