Messages From Zimbabwe

INGWERATI FARM - HIGH COURT ORDER 5075/08 24/08/2008

15/7/2009 Charles Nyachowe, ID 70/067/169Q, of 29 Manyonga Drive, Glen Lorne (011-402 150) arrived with three people. Lands Officer Tigere, Ministry of Lands, Chinhoyi. Told Moses, our Farm Manager that they were going to come back with Offer letter.

18/07/2009 Charles Nyachowe plus five people parked outside near ramp, crept through fence, walked around houses.

19/07/2009 Charles Nyachowa plus two people parked outside near ramp, crept through fence, walked around. High Court Order says he is forbidden on Ingwerati Farm, Case Number HC 5075/08 24/08/2008.

20/07/2009 Phoned Sheriff Gate (0912-295 144) who evicted Charles Nyachowa on 12/9/2008. He took me to ZRP Norton. We saw Insp Ndebele 0912-735 980 and Sgt Tarangarawa who was at eviction. He advised me to come the next day and report to the Member In Charge, Mhandy (0912-749 427), who I had SMSsed and told that Nyachowe was on the Farm.

21/07/2009 9am Chief Insp Mhandy called Sgt Chirinda (0912-918 546) who went through all CR and phoned Lands Officer Chinhoyi, Tigere Ministry of Lands Chinhoyi 067-21763 (0912-585 660).

29/08/2008 Gazetted Ingwerati Spitzop 12+14 108B-2008 Hec 348-68 Hec. Last offer letter 28/08/2008. Whole Ingwerati 351.00 hec. He said he had not left offer letter, only spoken to Manager Moses. He said we are to vacate by 31/08/2009.

21/07/2009 Sgt Chirinda and Chief Insp Mhandy advised me to go to the DA in Murombedzi. DA L M Bakare Room 41. He phoned Lands Officer Tigere. He spoke to Lands Officer Chikomba. We went to Chinhoyi as advised but he had a meeting with Governor Chidarikire at 3pm and wanted us to wait until 4.30 to see him which we could not do as that was too late for the two hour drive home. Sent him an SMS (0912-585 660) to cancel and phoned his Secretary, Daphne 067-21763.

22/07/2009 Reported back to Sheriff Gate. He took me to Public Prosecutor Munyoro 062-2579 (0912-911 134) to find out the verdict of the court cases. CR18/10/08 This case was CR37/08/08. Gilbert Pengo Charles Nyachowe threatened to kill him with a gun at his head if he stopped him from breaking into my house with a locksmith which he did on 04/08/2008 and stayed in the house until 12/09/2008 with ten guards. Court date 25/03/2009. CR128/08/08 Breaking and entering and abuse of my personal household possessions, theft to the value of $1850. Court cases 12/12/2008, 16/02/2008, 24/03/2009 and 17/04/2009. CR145/8/08 Assault of Kennith Vaughan Sherriffs. Charles Nyachowe paid Admission of Guilt fine at ZRP Norton.

22/07/2009 Public Prosecutor Munyoro and Deputy Sheriff came and looked at abuse to stove and microwave. The staff, who have the beds and mattresses, said that were disgusting and they washed and cleaned them and are using. I was told to go and see Insp Ndebele with the list of malicious damage to my property after the Public Prosecutor phoned him.

US$4200. CR39/9/08 Paul Nyachowe, brother of Charles, whom he works for and was in my house with the guards, drove into our truck twice, hitting it with Charles Nyachowe’s green tractor twice, which has not been repaired. This case has now been transferred from ZRP Norton to Marimba 08/09/2008, reference number 219/10/08. Quote US $1,575. 2/12/2008 Inv 6884.

23/07/2009 4:30pm Charles Nyachowe and two vehicles with 8 men took hacksaws and cut the lock to the main gate. This is the fifth lock he has cut to enter the Farm (Ingwerati). At the main house, has broken into the security gates at the front of the main house. Phoned ZRP Norton, Sgt Chirinda 0912-918 546, Insp Ndebele 0912-735 980, Sgt Tarangarawa 023-265 208 and Sheriff Gate 0912-295 144. The Guard Rhamosi was told by Charles Nyachowe that he will kill him if he closes the gate.

23/07/2009 Charles Nyachowe stole ½ tonne of gum wood from the Manager’s house and took it to the main house. His vehicle number, a green Nissan AAO 1706.

24/07/2009 We went with the Sheriff and Officers Nzombo and Chirinda to Ingwerati. Nyachowe and his brother Paul were looking at the borehole opposite the manager’s house. The Sheriff advised him that he was going to issue him with CIV29A Notice of Removal. Nyachowe went berserk and said that all high court orders only last 90 days and that the State owns the land and he has been given Ingwerati. The Sheriff said the High Court ruling was valid until it is revoked by the High Court with a new offer letter. The offer letter dated 2/08/2008 that Nyachowe gave the two policemen, the Sheriff said was the same one that was thrown out in the High Court as false. The policemen said that they thought the Sheriff was wrong and Nyachowe’s letter was valid. Charles Nyachowe shouted and screamed and said that he is going to get Bob and he is going to get 20% of Boheke and threatened the Sheriff. He pointed at myself and said he knew where I lived at Northfields.

The Dispol, Chief Superindent Makunike said the policeman had made a mistake and the Sheriff was correct. We then obtained a Bond of Indemnity (CIV41A) from Coghlan Welsh & Guest to allow the Messenger of the Court to act on our behalf.

At 4.30, the Sheriff went back to Ingwerati with the CIV29A Notice of Removal and issued it to Nyachowe who said there would be war and he would be killed if he came on Monday. The Sheriff had three people as witnesses who heard these threats.

25/07/2009 Charles Nyachowe took another ½ tonne of gum wood from the Manager’s house which he was seen leaving the farm with.

25/07/2009 Charles Nyachowe cut the electric boundary fence with the assistance of three of his men to make a new entrance to the main house to avoid going past the guards.

26/07/2009 Charles Nyachowe maintained his presence on the farm with other visitors on and off throughout the day.

27/07/2009 The Sheriff sent me to the Norton Police to pick up five details to go with him for protection during the eviction. The Member In Charge, Mhandy 0912-749 427, called Nzombo and Chirinda, and they agreed that they would not give the Sheriff back-up. The ZRP told me that Mr Nyachowa had gone to see the Secretary of Justice, Mr Mangota.

The Dispol, Inspector Makunike 0912-840 653 and 0913-426 074, told them that this was not correct but could not get them to comply with their duties.

The Sheriff came to town and went to the Police Headquarters and they assured him that he would get back-up, however, when he returned the backup was not forthcoming. The Sheriff has his truck with ten officials to help him with the eviction. He then proceeded in his car to Ingwerati and told Paul Nyachowe, who was in the main house, that he would be back on Tuesday to evict him.

27/07/09 I wanted a report made at Norton Police Station of the lock being cut (this is the 5th lock he has cut) the wood stolen, and the boundary electric fence he and 3 other men cut, making a new entrance to the main house. The police refused to write up this on a wait and see basis.

28/07/2009 The Sheriff returned to Mhandy, ZRP Norton and was refused the police details to back him as they said they have a docket for us for over staying at the farm. The Sheriff was waiting for the Master of the High Court to issue a directive to the police to assist.

This morning, our Dairy Manager, Moses, contacted us to say that Charles Nyachowe had gone into the Dairy and told him he was to stop milking and move the cows on Wednesday and also that he was going to be welding the gate so that we would not have entry and that his men would be running the farm. There are 89 Holstein highly pedigree herd on this farm.

(Source: via email)

President Robert Mugabe has faced rare public questioning over his land-grab program during an investment conference – and his answer did not exactly reassure visiting foreign business people.

Mugabe yesterday told the conference, convened to raise finance to rebuild the Zimbabwean economy after the past 10 years of misrule, that “not necessarily” every white farm would be seized.

He also asserted, to much incredulity, that Zimbabwe had paid white farmers “compensation for developments and improvements”, adding that compensation should be paid by the British government.

The false assertion came in answer to an unexpected question from Trevor Gifford, president of the predominantly white Commercial Farmers’ Union, who wanted to know who would compensate white farmers and why they were denied the right to own and farm land.

About 12,000 farms have been seized, most of them violently, since the land grab began, the CFU says. No one has received full compensation. By eliminating nearly all white commercial farming, Mugabe set off the collapse of one of the most prosperous African nations. Zimbabwe was classified last month as the most aid-dependent country in the world.

Mugabe’s last encounter with the CFU was in April 2000, soon after his “revolutionary land reform” began. Union officials pleaded with him to assert the rule of law after the first white farmer was murdered. The delegation of farmers was threatened with violence and the next day Mugabe declared on state radio that “white farmers are enemies of the state”.

Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara, head of the lesser faction of the Movement for Democratic Change, contradicted Mugabe yesterday. He told the would-be investors that Zimbabwe needed property rights and security of tenure to be restored.

He said Zimbabwe “can’t keep pushing the blame” for its failures on to former colonial powers.

(Source)

Bob Vaughan-Evans, a director of Zimbabwe‘s Commercial Farmers’ Union, has been axed to death at his home.

Mr Vaughan-Evans, who was in his late seventies, was killed on the eve of his wife Jean’s 80th birthday. The couple were attacked in their home in Gweru, Zimbabwe‘s third largest city, where Mr Vaughan-Evans represented the CFU in the Midlands Province.

The CFU president, Trevor Gifford, said Mr Vaughan-Evans, a renowned agriculturalist and conservationist, died from head wounds after he was attacked by an intruder.

He said he did not yet know Mrs Vaughan-Evans’s condition. “She is frail and in a wheelchair from a previous attack, also in their home,” he said.

Mr Gifford said the couple had been attacked three times in the last six months, once for about £15.

President Robert Mugabe began siezing thousands of white-owned farms in 2000 and now only a few hundred remain on small portions of their original land holdings.

“We still do not know details of what happened. Bob was a very important member of the CFU team,” said Mr Gifford.

Zimbabwe‘s crime statistics are seldom disclosed, but there has been a surge of armed and violent robberies, particularly since Zimbabwe abandoned its worthless currency in January and now uses US dollars or South African Rands.

(Source)

For those who have not experienced the peculiar perspective of Zimbabwe’s state-controlled media, here’s an example in the form of  ZBC coverage of the  legal struggle for Mount Carmel farm (published on Friday 12 June). Please note, this farm is protected by a SADC ruling. Follow the links at the end of this blog for full details and background on the Mount Carmel situation.

White farmers cause chaos at Dr. Shamuyarira’s farm

White farmers have regrouped themselves at Mount Carmel, a farm allocated to Zanu-PF Politburo member Dr Nathan Shamuyarira in Chegutu where they are causing chaos in clear desperate attempts to reverse the land reform programme.

The situation at Mount Carmel and Tyford farms in Mashonaland West Province was tense when ZBC News arrived.

The white farmers Bruce Campbell, Ben Freethe and Meredith had regrouped in their battle to try and evict ZANU PF politburo member Dr Nathan Shamuyarira and the party’s Central Committee member Cde Jimayi Muduvuri.

Dr Shamuyaria’s farm manager Cde Landmines Madongonda said on different occasions, the white farmers escorted by foreign journalists came to the farm to provoke the farm workers so as to create ugly scenes which could then be used to create false stories.

He said on Thursday the white farmers came and took away the farm workers’ food, clothes and a DDF tractor which was later recovered in Chegutu after being dumped there.

Cde Muduvuri who is facing the same problem said he is now worried about the constant visit and resistance by the white farmers and foreign journalists and says they are bent on stage managing events within the farms so as to come up with stories that tarnish the inclusive government.

Zimbabwe Lawyers for Justice National Co-ordinator Advocate Martin Dinha warned the white farmers to stop playing games reminding them that the Global Political Agreement signed by the three political leaders has clearly stated that the land reform is a closed chapter that cannot reversed.

The new wave of farm disturbances by white farmers who are now working in cahoots with hired foreign journalists have been described by observers as blatant attempts bent on discrediting the inclusive government by stage managing some form of chaos within the farms.

Some sections of the western media have claimed that there are fresh farm invasions in Zimbabwe reports which have been dismissed as untrue by the inclusive government.

(Source)

A niece of prime minister Tsvangirai is involved in an attempt to grab a farm in the Chegutu district. Dr. Arikana Chihombori, who lives in the United States and practices family medicine in Antioch, Tennessee, has been actively trying to seize De Rus Farm from Mr L J Cremer since late last year. Mr Cremer was first contacted in November 2008 by the local Lands Officer, who produced an offer letter dated August 2007 showing that De Rus farm had been allocated to Dr Chihombori. In January this year, Dr Chihombori’s sister sent a group of unemployed youths to take the farm, but the occupation only lasted three days, after which the youths left, complaining of not being paid enough. In April, Dr Chihombori applied to the courts for an application to evict the Cremer family, producing the same offer letter as evidence, this time dated December 2008. Dr Chihombori visited De Rus Farm in May to see her ‘new’ property.

Mr Cremer was born on the farm, which was originally 716 ha in extent. In 2002, 650 ha were taken away and given to new farmers. The De Rus family were left with 60 ha, on which are the homestead and outbuildings. Mr Cremer lives on the farm with his wife – a third generation Zimbabwean – their two daughters, their husbands and five grandchildren. De Rus Farm employs 300 staff, some of whom also live on the property. The state has paid no compensation for the seized land. The Cremers used to run cattle, and produce food and cotton on the seized portion of the farm. Since 2002, production on that land has been minimal, with no more than 20 ha under crops, and many parts now covered in thorn trees five metres tall. In 2003, that part of De Rus Farm still in the Cremers’ hands was granted Export Processing Zone status, later turned into an Investment License. The status of Investment Licence gives legal protection against seizure by the state. The Cremers also have letters from the local land committee and the provincial governor recommending that they be allowed to continue farming. They grow cutflowers for export, as well as vegetables for the local market. There are also plans to produce vegetable seedlings for the outgrowers of a processing company. The Cremers’ neighbour, who used to produce the seedlings, has been evicted.

“It is very obvious that this acquisition is not about land reform,” said Mr Cremer in a statement. “How can this government ask for food aid while they are busy removing food producers from their farms? How can they justify the unemployment rate while they are removing 300 people from employment under the guise of Land Reform? A small productive farm is being taken from Zimbabweans and given to someone who resides in America. It is about greed, people stealing our homes, land, jobs and livelihood and hiding behind politics. The only reason for evicting us must be race.” Dr Chihombori came to prominence in May when she was seen accompanying Tsvangirai at the inauguration of Jacob Zuma as South African president. She was born in Zimbabwe, but was educated in the US and has practiced there for the past 30 years. She is married to a Ghanaian, also a doctor in the US. In 1992, she founded the Bell Family Medical Centre in Tennessee, of which she is the CEO. She is also co-owner of the Mid-Tennessee Medical Associates, which is a multi-speciality clinic with 16 physicians. In 1999 her company received US$750 000 from the World Bank to fund its involvement with the Torwood Hospital and Redcliff Medical Center in Kwekwe, which her company had taken over from Zisco, the troubled steel producer in the town.

(Source)

Yet another farming family in Chegutu have been forced to turn their backs on their land and livelihood, after being forcibly and illegally evicted in the name of so called land reform.

The Keevil family’s land, Dodhill Farm, has been snatched and placed in the hands of the brother of the Chegutu Lands Officer, after months of intense harassment that started in November 2008. Abel Kunonga and fellow land invader Nyasha Chikafu, have mercilessly hounded the Keevils to their recent eviction, despite numerous High Court orders issued since November protecting the Keevils’ right to their land.

Chegutu police openly ignored the court orders, only reacting with speed and assertion to arrest the farm’s workers, who acted to prevent Kunonga and an accompanying youth from stealing fuel off the farm. The workers were arrested and kept behind bars for more than a week, for nothing more than trying to protect the land.

Dodhill Farm invasion at a glance:

- First attacks in November 2008 led by Abel Kunonga, brother of Chegutu Lands Officer, Clever Kunonga.

- High Court issues numerous orders on the Keevils’ behalf since November, but all are ignored

- Chegutu police openly ignore the ongoing attacks and court orders, only responding to arrest the farm’s workers who tried to stop Kunonga and other invaders from stealing fuel

- Farm workers spend more than a week behind bars

- Supreme Court Justice Chidyausiku rules against the Keevils in May, paving way for fast track farmer prosecution

- Keevils ordered to the leave their land by the court

Last month, Supreme Court Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku, ruled against the Keevils, who were dragged to court by their oppressors for remaining on the land. The Chief Justice effectively paved the way for the fast track prosecution and eviction of farmers, systematically destroying the arguments the Keevils had in their defence

The Keevils have now been forced to leave their productive, successful farm in the hands of an inexperienced land thief, who ironically has contacted Sam Keevil for assistance on how to run the farm.

The renewed offensive against the country’s remaining commercial farmers has hit the Chegutu farming community the hardest. Almost all farmers in the area are facing prosecution for continuing farming activities, or are dealing with state sponsored land invasions and harassment. All five of the most productive and successful farms in Chegutu have been almost completely taken over and production halted by invaders, led by ZANU PF loyalists. On these farms alone, more than 1300 farm workers have lost their jobs, and more than 5000 Zimbabweans, dependent on Chegutu’s farm operations, have been left penniless and destitute.

The invasions and devastating consequences of the attacks come as the unity government remains unwilling to take action to intervene. Robert Mugabe has naturally defended the attacks in the name of his ‘land-reform’ programme, which has all but destroyed the critical agriculture sector in Zimbabwe. Most shockingly, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, who is set to embark on a cross-continental tour to ‘improve international economic relations’, has downplayed the attacks.

While the desperate bid to win financial favour continues, ordinary Zimbabweans continue to suffer, and until the land attacks are stopped and food production is encouraged, the suffering will continue.

(Source)

President Robert Mugabe’s controversial “land reform programme” took a new twist Wednesday when a court ordered the eviction of a white farmer who was not a farmer.

Ian Campbell-Morrison, 46, lives in the Vumba Mountains in eastern Zimbabwe, next to a tourist hotel where he is the green keeper for its golf course. He and his wife live in a cottage on a plot not much bigger than a suburban garden, where she tends flowers.

The Campbell-Morrisons used to farm tobacco and coffee there, but the government seized their land and the farmhouse and gave it to a government official, leaving the couple their cottage and the garden around it, said Hendrik Olivier, director of the Commercial Farmers’ Union, made up mostly of Zimbabwe’s remaining 350 white farmers.

A magistrate in the nearby city of Mutare nevertheless sentenced Campbell-Morrison to a fine of 800 US dollars for “illegally occupying state land” and ordered the couple to be off the property by Saturday.

The Campbell-Morrisons are one of 140 white farming families facing eviction from their land in the latest tactic regime in Mugabe’s violent, lawless campaign to force white landowners – numbering about 5,000 when it started in 2000 – off their farms.

The action is in the name of a redistribution of white land to blacks, but which has instead made a million former farm workers homeless and set off the collapse the once-prosperous country’s economy into famine and ruin.

Mugabe has declared all white-owned land to be state property and banned farmers from taking the government to court.

The evictions and violence have continued despite the establishment in February of a power-sharing government between Mugabe and former pro-democracy opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, with an agreement to restore the rule of law and to “ensure security of tenure to all land holders.”

Tsvangirai, now prime minister, began by promising to end the lawlessness, promising that “no crime (by invaders on white farms) will go unpunished,” but police – under the control of staunchly pro- Mugabe security chiefs – continued to refuse to act against the mostly well-heeled Mugabe loyalists grabbing productive farms and selling their crops.

Western governments have refused to provide finance for the recovery of the country’s economy from world-record inflation and decimation of production under Mugabe, until there are “clear signs of reform” in the re-establishment of the rule of law. The restoration of peace and security on the farms is cited as a key condition.

But there was shock this week when Tsvangirai, referred in an interview to “isolated incidents of so-called farm invasions” that had “been blown out of proportion.” Said a Western diplomat: “He’s talking like Mugabe now.”

Throughout Tuesday night on Mount Carmel farm in the Chegutu district, farmer Ben Freeth and his family were terrorised by a mob of invaders who rolled blazing tyres at their thatch-roofed homestead.

At the weekend, an 80-year-old woman was assaulted by police removing her son from his farm. On Friday, another farmer was beaten up by a Mugabe supporter trying to force him to leave.

“There has been absolutely no resolution or even recognition that there is even a problem,” said CFU president Trevor Gifford, who is trying to stop a government official cutting down what is left of his timber plantation, and is selling it to the government of neighbouring Zambia for telephone poles. Gifford is due to appear in court on Friday for “illegally occupying state land.”

“This is happening in a country that has become the world’s most dependent on donors for food,” he said. “Until this government respects the rights of its own citizens and investment agreements, no-one will look at this country.”

(Source)

Air Zimbabwe‘s passenger jets could be seized at Gatwick airport after an international tribunal ruled that the country’s assets could be confiscated and sold in order to compensate farmers whose land has been seized.

The decision by the Washington-based International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) came after a six-year legal battle between a group of Dutch farmers and President Robert Mugabe’s government.

It finally ruled last week that Mr Mugabe’s government had broken a bilateral investment treaty with the Netherlands and awarded the group more than £14 million in compensation.

The ICSID is part of the World Bank and the judgment can be enforced by seizing Zimbabwean state assets – such as Air Zimbabwe‘s aircraft – in any of its more than 100 member countries, which include both Britain and America. Embassy buildings, though, are excluded from seizure under the Vienna conventions.

At a hearing in Paris, which was closed to both the public and media, Zimbabwean officials defended the eviction of more than 4,000 farmers saying the best agricultural land was taken by white “settlers”, mostly British, during the colonial era.

One of the farmers, Ben Funnekotter, 49, born of Dutch parents in Zimbabwe and who now lives in Australia, was one of the first forced off by Mr Mugabe’s thugs in 2000.

“We need to see if the award will be paid,” he said. “If it is not, then I will start proceedings to impound any assets belonging to the Zimbabwe government.”

Matthew Coleman, a British lawyer who represented the farmers in Paris, said: “We hope this encourages others to come forward and bring claims under the bilateral investment treaties.”

(Source)

A gun battle erupted on Thursday at Chegutu’s Stockdale Farm, which was invaded by senate president Edna Madzongwe, leading to the arrest of the farm owner Peter Etheredge

The chaos erupted after the Chegutu ZANU PF land committee led controversial former sports personality turned politician Temba Mliswa defied an order by the Zimbabwe Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara to stop the illegal farm invasions.

Themba Mliswa is now the operations leader of a new Zimbabwean terrorist group operating from Robert Mugabe’s office and it commandeered by the Minister of State Security in the President’s office Dydimus Mutasa.

No-one was injured in the gun battle but Police confirmed the arrest of Etheredge.

Mliswa said the order by Mutambara was “ill advised and will go ahead with occupying the commercial farms has they had offer letters from the government”.

This follows a meeting of new farmers in Chegutu on Thursday.

During  a tour of the farms in Chegutu, Mutambara said the illegal farm evictions should stop immediately.

“There will be no holy cows. The axe will hit where it may and we will not tolerate any government official who is prolonging lawlessness in the country,” Mutambara said then while leading a government team in Chegutu.

Farmers in the area, 120 kilometres south west of Harare, told officials that 17 farms had been affected since January and that Zimbabwe‘s senate president was behind one of the seizures.

Fresh farm grabs have further tarnished the country’s image abroad as it desperately seeks foreign investment to kick start the economy after years of ruin, Mutambara told reporters.

“Our country is trying to attract investment, attract foreign aid, we can’t afford to be damaging business confidence in this country,” he said.

White farmers have reported a surge in violence despite a power-sharing deal between long-time President Mugabe and new Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai who formed a unity government in February.

Chegutu farmer Peter Etheredge told reporters that Zimbabwe‘s senate president Edna Madzongwe had forced his family off their farm Stockdale.

The land reforms launched in 2000 aimed to resettle blacks on 4,000 white-owned commercial farms, but the process was marred by politically charged violence.

(Source)

For the first time a handful of white farmers saw one of President Robert Mugabe’s cabinet ministers and his land invaders humiliated over farm seizures.

Deputy prime minister Arthur Mutambara, on a mission assigned him by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, went into the heart of the most troubled farming area on a whirlwind visit, ignored deeply rooted district protocols, took control of the multi-party fact-finding visit, and ordered invaders off the land.

He accused the invaders of “reaping what they did not sow”, of breaking the law and destroying the economy. He told policemen to uphold the law. He also called one of Mugabe’s loyalists “immoral”.

Mugabe’s land minister, Herbert Murewha, his head cast down, had to endure Mutambara’s volley of anger when he saw tens of thousands of kilograms of export fruit rotting because the farmer, Ben Freeth, has been prevented from entering his packing shed in the past few weeks.

Freeth’s farm, Mount Carmel, has been given to Mugabe’s biographer, former information minister Nathan Shamuyarira. “You are giving Mr Shamuyarira a bad name,” he told Landmine Chigombira, the top thug on Freeth’s farm who has ordered workers to be beaten and houses to be pillaged in the past few days.

Mutambara then told the assembled crowd on the farm that Freeth and his team must be left to live in their homes peacefully and to return to work the same day.

An hour later, after Mutambara left, Freeth and his workers were chased away.

However, Mutambara said after the trip – the first one by the inclusive government sworn into power two months ago – that he would not react to the defiance of his orders. “What matters is that the next time Mugabe denies there have been fresh land invasions I can say that is not true, I saw it for myself.”

Freeth and his father-in-law, Mike Campbell, are still recovering from injuries from last year’s vicious attacks.

“It didn’t make any difference today, but at least he (Mutambara) came and he took control, he questioned workers and they told him how they had suffered and he was obviously angry at what has been going on. Let’s see how this works out,” said Freeth.

“There will be no holy cows. The axe will hit where it may and we will not tolerate any government official who is prolonging lawlessness in the country,” Mutambara said on another farm he visited.

“Our country is trying to attract investment, attract foreign aid. We can’t afford to be damaging business confidence in this country.”

Farmers in the area told officials that 17 farms had been affected since January and that the president of Zimbabwe‘s senate, Edna Madzongwe was behind one of the seizures.

“It’s going to be interesting to see what comes out of this,” said Colin Cloete, former president of the Commercial Farmers’ Union, whose farm Mutambara visited first.

“Word got out early in the morning that he was coming and some of them packed up and left. I was quite impressed,” he said.

(Source)