Unity government comes face to face with fresh land invasions

Most of the new land invaders are powerful government officials, top
police and army chefs and influential intelligence operatives claiming
they have never benefited from Zimbabwe's land reform programme which
started in 2000.

They are ready to reap from large tracts of mangoes, oranges, maize,
beans, kumquat, sunflower, and other farm produce, a product of decades
of preparation by the land owners.

White land owners have been forced into hiding as youths, some of who
are slinging pellet guns have been deployed to bar the owners from
setting foot in their farms.

For the powerful enough, armed police and soldiers have been deployed to guard the seized farms.

One such official is Edna Madongwe, the president of the senate who has
seized Stockdale, a citrus farm which has 400 hectares of orange.

Madzongwe is ready to reap from the offspring of 60 000 trees of ripe
oranges, the work of nearly 25 years by 73 year old Richard Etheridge,
one of Zimbabwe's largest orange producing farmers.

Two Mugabe election posters are now hanging at the farm gate,
ostensibly to give the new farm invasion some sense of credibility.

Madzongwe brought a group of thugs to force me off the farm This is my
first time to be at the farm after a month, said Etheredge.

He was speaking in the assumed safety of a group of local journalists
and government officials during last Friday's visit by Deputy Prime
Minister Arthur Mutambara, who was sent by Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai to probe reports of fresh farm invasions in Zimbabwe.

Madzongwe is said to be the owner of Aitape farm, which produces
tobacco; Bourne farm, a dairy farm; Reydon farm, a maize and tobacco
producing farm, Mpofu, a maize and beef farm and Coburn estates, which
produce maize.

Etheredge further accuses Madzongwe of trucking a group of thugs to
come and steal 14 refrigerators and 14 hunting guns from his safe.

There were 14 weapons, he said, It took Madzongwe eight hours to
break into the strong room to steal my weapons. The weapons are for
hunting. Some of these weapons are worth R50 000."

He said he did not report the matter to police for fear of being arrested.

We could not report the case. The police are totally against us.

Meanwhile, Madzongwe, who denies claims she owns five more farms in the
same area, vows she will not vacate the farm despite fierce protests by
the owner she is in possession of a fake offer letter.

Similarly, Mike Campbell, the owner of Mount Carmel farm outside
Chegutu is one other farmer who has had to endure seeing his farm being
seized.

Campbell is the first farmer in Zimbabwe who took his case for
adjudication at the SADC tribunal which in November last year ruled in
favour of the more than 75 farmers who also filed their case with his.

He was given five minutes to vacate his farm.

Campbell says his farm produces 6000 tonnes of mangoes, 400 tonnes of
oranges, 200 tonnes of maize and some 100 tonnes of sunflower every
year. It also produces beef and milk from more than 600 cattle.

Mangoes estimated to cost US$740 000 were being allowed to rot as the
new owner of the farm, who calls himself Landmine Chimbambaira, has
taken charge of the farm.

Chimbambaira claims to have been sent by Zanu PF politburo member Nathan Shamuyarira.

In Manicaland province's Headlands, Brigadier General Justin Itayi
Mujaji has seized Karori farm from Charles Ingram Lock using a fake
2007 offer letter signed by the then Lands minister Didymus Mutasa.

Ironically, as you take a long drive in the country, large tracts of
cleared land lie desolate with tall grass growing uninhibited, while
those farms with flourishing orange, maize, beans and other produce
have found those who claim them.

These are the barebones of the new land seizures that have hit Zimbabwe
in the past two months thanks to the tacit approval of President Robert
Mugabe.

According to the Commercial Farmers Union (CFU), whose members bear the
brunt of the land invasions, more than 200 farmers were in March this
year targeted for harassment by groups loyal to President Mugabe.

The March incidents included sporadic land invasions that saw farmers
being forced to flee their farms, property being damaged and sometimes
stolen. This happened on top of beatings on farm workers.

The CFU says it also recorded 88 prosecutions on its members who are
being accused of remaining on their land in violation of a government
directive forcing them to make way for new land owners.

Addressing journalists soon after touring the farms, Mutambara admitted
the new land invasions posed a serious threat to both the economic
future of the country as well as the operations of the new government.

He said some of the new land invaders were people who were armed with what he said were fake offer letters.

He assured the farmers and the beneficiaries that government shall move with speed to bring finality to the contention issue.

Mutambara however denied there were any disagreements by the three
principals to the unity agreement on how to resolve the land invasions.

Mutambara was accompanied by the Home Affairs minister, Giles Mutsekwa,
Lands minister, Herbert Murerwa; Gordon Moyo the minister of state in
the Prime Minister’s office together with senior government officials.

He was expected to present a report of his findings to the Prime Minister, Morgan Tsvangirai.

Tsvangirai has made repeated calls for the new land invaders to stop
the acts saying the incidents were standing in the way of government's
efforts to reverse the country's economic downturn.

The international community has also refused to assist Zimbabwe economically while demanding a return to the rule of law.