Howzit

A couple of weeks ago I emailed the local newspaper, The Derby Evening Telegraph, to see if they did a book review service.

Better ‘n that, they put a reporter onto it, and despatched a photographer to see me.

The result was published yesterday:

“A former policeman who spent more than 30 years living and working in Zimbabwe has written a book about his experiences.

Robb Ellis has lived in Derby for the past seven years but grew up in the African country after his family emigrated from Britain when he was a baby.

But he and his family left for England in 1998 when they decided the political situation had become too dangerous under the rule of President Robert Mugabe.

Now he has documented his time spent working under the Mugabe regime - during which thousands of people have been killed - in his book, Without Honour.

Mr Ellis, 44, said he had always wanted to become a policeman and joined the Zimbabwe Republic Police in 1981 when he was 18.

He was posted to a station in Essexvale, now known as Esigodini, and took up the position of public prosecutor.

Mr Ellis, of Devon Close, Chaddesden, said he had to deal with ambushes, murders, rapes, robberies and political violence as part of his work during this time.

He said he saw a marked increase in the number of crimes in the area as people rebelled against Robert Mugabe’s rule.

“Being a prosecutor, I only became involved in the investigation of cases which would be heard in a higher court and so had my pick of volatile, vicious cases to investigate,” he said.

“One of the first instances of political malcontent I attended was the killing in an ambush of two friends of mine who were driving to Bulawayo one evening early in 1982.”

Later that year, Mr Ellis was transferred to Plumtree, on the Zimbabwe’s western border with Botswana.

He said: “By the time I arrived there, Mugabe’s Korean-trained Fifth Brigade had been ordered into the province, where they robbed, murdered, pillaged and raped the local tribe.”

It is estimated that 20,000 to 30,000 people were killed during this period.

In 1985, Mr Ellis left the police force after becoming disillusioned with the justice system in the country and worked for several large companies until leaving Zimbabwe in 1998.

He came to Britain with wife Bernie but, in August 2000, fell 13 feet while working in a warehouse in Swindon and shattered his left arm.

The couple then moved to Derby so that Mr Ellis could receive treatment at the Pulvertaft Hand Unit at Derbyshire Royal Infirmary.

He was encouraged to write about his experiences by a friend from South Africa and began penning the book last year with the support of his wife and his mother, who also lives in Derby.

He said: “It was an amazing emotional release to write of the events of almost a quarter of a century ago but events, nonetheless, which are still relevant today as Mugabe is still in power, albeit undemocratically, and the people of Zimbabwe still suffer for his leadership.”

Without Honour is available as a print-on-demand book at www.lulu.com/content/779062 and costs £12.99 plus postage.”

Take care.

‘debvhu