Seeing the violence and horror experienced by Ben Freeth and his young family, I found myself repeatedly wondering if the farmer was right to expose the family to such danger. The innocent faces of the children revealed how little they understood of the mayhem that was going on around them; not once did the viewer see those beautiful children smile. Perhaps, when they are older they will understand that their parents were doing what they believed to be the right thing. Does the cause justify the suffering it must inevitably involve for the families and – in Freeths case – all the 500 workers he employs? The answer depends on each individuals commitment and in Ben Freeths case it was his conviction nave some would say – that what he was doing in taking his case to the SADC Tribunal in Namibia would ultimately clear the way for all the farm invasions to be declared illegal and the white farmers being allowed to continue on their farms.
In essence, Freeth was asking Am I, as a white man, a Zimbabwean citizen entitled to the same rights and duties as all other citizens as enshrined in the Constitution? The answer, of course depended on the Mugabe governments commitment to the rule of law. The terrible beating that Freeth and his father-in-law received from Mugabes thugs on the ground showed very clearly what the answer would be. While Mike Campbell and his wife lay in their hospital beds, too desperately injured to be moved, it was a bandaged and bruised Ben Freeth who returned to Namibia for the final verdict of the SADC Tribunal. The sight of the Government legal team stalking out of a properly constituted African court simply proved they recognised no law but Zanu PF and Robert Mugabe. When the SADC Tribunal eventually issued their verdict that the invasion was illegal and there was in fact nothing to stop Freeth and Campbell from returning to their land it seemed at first like a historic victory. Tears of joy all round, but within days Mount Carmel was burned to the ground and Freeth, his family and his workers had lost everything. That was how Mugabe and the White African ended.
So, had the question been answered? Clearly not, in fact the film raised more questions than it answered. Are white people in Zimbabwe true citizens of the country or not? Is there such an entity as a White African, someone born and bred in Africa who knows no other home and whose roots are deep in African soil? Is colour the criteria by which we judge identity, what about mixed race people and those of Indian descent?
Fast forward to May 2010 and consider the case of another White African, Roy Bennett, the MDCs choice for Deputy Minister of Agriculture. Despite his recent acquittal, Zanu PF hardliners are still maintaining that Bennett cannot be sworn in because he was a fighter with the Rhodesians. The logic of this argument appears to be that anyone who was allied to the Rhodesian cause cannot be considered a Zimbabwean and qualified as such to serve in the government of the country. This argument takes no account of the thousands of black and mixed race Zimbabweans who served in the Rhodesian security forces or the British South Africa Police as it then was, many of whom have since risen to positions of power and wealth in the independent Republic of Zimbabwe.
Now, we hear that another farmer is about to take his case to the SADC Tribunal to gain compensation for the loss of his properties. In a related development comes the news that Zanu PF has stipulated that only ten white farmers will be chosen to operate in the agriculturally rich province of Mash Central. The chosen ones have been informed by the authorities; apparently their skin colour was no bar but perhaps large donations to the party have smoothed the way? You have to wonder why these White Africans are any more acceptable than Freeth, Cambell, or Bennett? Zanu PF politics is the only explanation; race is simply being used as an excuse to pursue the political agenda of the Mugabe regime and their inalienable right, as they believe, to own all Zimbabwes rich resources. Speaking at the G-15 Summit in Tehran last week, Robert Mugabe was in no doubt, At the end of the day, he said, black people must be able to say the resources are ours, our people own the mines, our people own industry. Mugabe wants what he calls aggressive indigenisation particularly of the mining sector. If aggressive means a repeat of the brutal land invasion techniques then Zimbabwe is in for some very troubled times ahead. The war vets too want a piece of the action; they have a right they say to share the spoils because they fought for Zimbabwes freedom- though its hard to believe that men who deliberately block food aid to AIDS orphans are genuine friends of the people they claim to have liberated.
As for the White Africans – it seems they are paying and will continue to pay for the sins of their fathers one and a half centuries ago. Speak out in their defence and you will be condemned as a stooge and bootlicker of the former colonizers to quote Robert Mugabe; say nothing and the greed and vengeance will continue unchecked.
Yours in the (continuing) struggle PH. aka Pauline Henson author of Case Closed published in Zimbabwe by Mambo Press, Going Home and Countdown, political detective stories set in Zimbabwe and available on lulu.com.
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