Peter Etheredge, who owns Stockdale Farm in the south western farming town
of Chegutu that Zimbabwe’s Speaker of Parliament Edna Madzongwe wants to
take over, was detained by police in the morning.
Two of his employees were shot and injured allegedly by police guarding the
farm on behalf of Madzongwe. They were taken to the Avenues Clinic in the
capital.
A lawyer who was in Chegutu confirmed that Etheredge was detained at Chegutu
police station. "He has been detained for disorderly conduct," said the
lawyer who did not want her name to be published.
"What is surprising is that that the police are saying it’s disorderly
conduct but no one is elaborating as to what actually happened. Two of his
employees have been taken to Harare after they had been shot in the
morning," the lawyer added.
Another farmer at the scene also confirmed the detention of Etheredge. "He
has been detained by the police since morning, and we have not been told
what is the problem or what the police intend to charge him with," said the
farmer.
"We are completely in the dark, but two of his workers have been shot, one
through the knee and another somewhere in the leg."
No comment could be obtained from the police last night.
Violence has intensified on farms across Zimbabwe in recent weeks, with farm
invaders attacking workers and owners, effectively paralysing operations on
farms.
Commercial farmers’ organisations say invaders have since February raided at
least 100 of the about 300 remaining white-owned commercial farms, a
development that has intensified doubts over whether the unity government
will withstand attempts by ZANU PF hardliners to sabotage it.
The International Monetary Fund and Western countries have – on top of other
conditions – made it clear that hey would not consider giving aid to the
Harare government while farm invasion continue.
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai on Thursday appointed a team of senior
government ministers to probe continuing violence on the country’s few
remaining white-owned commercial farms.
The team that visited selected farms was led by Deputy Prime Minister Arthur
Mutambara and included joint-Home Affairs Ministers Kembo Mohadi and Giles
Mutsekwa, Agriculture Minister Joseph Made, Lands Minister Hebert Murerwa
and Minister of State in Tsvangirai’s office Gorden Moyo.
Zimbabwe, also grappling with its worst ever economic crisis, has since 2000
when land reforms began, relied on food imports and handouts from
international food agencies mainly due to failure by resettled black
peasants to maintain production on former white farms.
Poor performance in the mainstay agricultural sector has also had far
reaching consequences as hundreds of thousands of people have lost jobs
while the manufacturing sector, starved of inputs from the sector, is
operating at around 10 percent of capacity.
ZimOnline
Post published in: News