Our job is to cut your throatThe estate, in the beautiful mountainous region in eastern Zimbabwe which has long been an MDC stronghold, was grabbed from Bennett and is now run by ARDA.
On March 26, Bennett and his wife Heather were harassed by intelligence operatives who had mounted a roadblock along the road to Charleswood.
Bennett was complying with an order to retrieve his personal belongings from his residence on the Estate, including his dead father’s ashes, after receiving a letter from ARDA lawyers Jakachira and Company, instructing him to retrieve his property.
Bennett has a pending court action against ARDA over his illegal expulsion from the property.
In a letter to the Joint Monitoring and Implementation Committee (JOMIC), a special multi-party taskforce mandated with supervising the implementation of the inclusive government, Bennett said on arrival in Chimanimani town at the turnoff to Charleswood Estate at approx 1900hrs on March 26, he encountered a police road block. He was travelling in two 7-ton trucks he had hired to load his property.
“It was obvious that they were waiting for me as there was a reaction with people converging on my vehicle shouting ndi Bennett ndi Bennett, and a person dressed in civilians ran to the headlights in the front of the vehicle and knelt to take my number plate,” Bennett said in his report lodged with JOMIC.
“I moved the vehicle forward and forced him to move out the way, I then got out and asked what the problem was and why they were taking my number and reacting in the manner they were.”
Bennett said the officers answered in a very aggressive manner, demanding to know what he wanted and why he was there.
“All other vehicles were passing through – none were being stopped. I answered that I was in Chimanimani to recover my property and they asked under whose authority. I answered by asking why they were questioning me and what I had done wrong. They answered ‘we are under instructions you may not question us’. I produced the lawyers’ letter and was then directed to the Member-in-Charge, one Inspector Browned, who I introduced myself to shook his hand and handed him the letters.
“I then asked him what is the problem, he said do not talk to me. I replied what is the problem I am Senator in the upper house and the Agriculture minister designate, did he not know that there was an inclusive government and that harassment of MDC officials should not be taking place? He replied there is no inclusive government and who is the Prime Minister, he only knows the President and acts on instructions,” Bennett’s report to JOMIC says.
Bennett says he was forced to wait for 30 mins after the officers took the lawyers’ letter.
He managed to identify Sgt Mafumbate from Police Internal Security Intelligence, and said the officer harassed his wife in the presence of a uniformed police officer.
“His actions were aggressive but I could not hear what he was saying,” the report says.
“My wife later informed me that he was demanding her ID. She refused to give him as he was in civilian clothes and would not identify himself. He instructed the uniformed police officer to instruct my wife to give her ID (but then) this officer just walked away. He then called another uniformed police officer who demanded my wifes ID, which she gave him.”
Bennett said the officer told his wife: “Do you know we will kill you. Our job is to cut your throat. My wife appealed to the uniformed officer for protection and he told her to f*** off, they can do what they want. It was at this stage that the Member-in-Charge returned and gave me back the letters and said you can go. I again questioned him as to the aggression and hostility displayed by the police. I said I will call the Prime Minister, he said do what you want, he is nothing, we are in charge. He then got in the police vehicle and left”.
Bennett said in his report to JOMIC, whose role is to receive reports and complaints in respect of any issue related to the implementation, enforcement and execution of the GPA: “The whole incident left me feeling very threatened and I was sure that the incident was being instructed from a higher authority as the Member-in-Charge was always walking away to talk on the phone. My wife was traumatized and it took some 60mins for her to stop shaking. I also heard from my drivers that they had been threatened and grabbed by the front of the shirts and asked ‘what are you doing here, do you want to die?'”
Bennett told JOMIC he stayed the night with friends and a CIO vehicle he identified drove past the house at intervals throughout the night.
“I decided to return with the truck at 0400 feeling extremely threatened due to the threat level,” he said in his report. “I decided not to go to Charleswood.”
Bennett returned to Zimbabwe in January 2009 after spending nearly two years in exile in South Africa. The MDC’s treasurer-general was arrested in February last year, accused of plotting against the Mugabe government. The charges were that he illegally possessed arms for the purposes of committing terrorism and banditry. Bennett denies the charges, which carry a possible death sentence.
Yesterday a High Court judge was expected to rule on an application by the defence team that the case be thrown out because the State had dismally failed to prove a prima facie case against him.
Post published in: News