HARARE Another gold rush has erupted in Zimbabwes volatile Manicaland province this time involving a free-for-all scramble for macadamia nuts and bananas from farms illegally occupied by President Robert Mugabes supporters. (Pictured: Bananas A free-for-all for the fruit in Chipinge)
The Commercial Farmers Union (CFU) said hordes of Zanu (PF) supporters are looting ripe crops of macadamia nuts from farms where the bona fide white owners have been driven off in the past few weeks.
The euphoria and excitement is the current gold rush of people in Chipinge fighting to unlawfully take over the macadamia crops. At least three of our well established farmers in the area have been violently evicted from their homes, the union said.
It said evicted farmers have been prohibited from salvaging anything from their farms, which includes their macadamia crops which are currently being harvested.
Instead it has been alleged that there are buyers from Kenya, China, Australia and Switzerland who are readily cashing in on our farmers stolen crops, said the CFU. There has recently been a similar ongoing situation in the banana industry where occupiers of established plantations have had ready local buyers quick to snap up the stolen produce in what some may consider highly suspicious circumstances.
The CFU said some of the banana estates are covered by bilateral investment promotion and protection agreements (BIPPAs) signed with other countries. Zimbabwe has signed BIPPAs with several countries, including Austria, France, Germany, Mauritius, Holland, Portugal, South Africa, Sweden and Malaysia.
What is of most concern about the ongoing Chipinge looting and violent evictions is that the police are allegedly refusing to attend
the scenes or even to record the reports or issue RRB numbers, the union said. They are alleging that they have recently been openly threatened by a visiting minister that should they assist any white farmer they would be arrested and jailed, it added.
It is further alleged that the same minister ordered that the protection orders granted to individual farmers in the High Court are
to be disregarded as they are allegedly considered to be null and void. Top Zanu (PF) official and Minister of State in the Presidents Office, Didymus Mutasa, has been implicated as the mastermind of the wave of farm violence and evictions in Manicaland.
At least five commercial farmers in the area have come under attack in the past two weeks as the drive to grab the remaining commercial landin Zimbabwe continues. Mutasa allegedly told a Zanu (PF) rally that there would be no single white-owned farm in the province by the end of the year.
The union said continuation of the violent evictions and looting of personal property and crops were merely adding more strong evidence to support its case currently in the Supreme Court in which it is requesting a moratorium on farm seizures.
Regarding the polices refusal to act on the farm invaders, the CFU said it has submitted reports to Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai who is said to be putting together the information in an effort to get to the attention of the Commissioner General of Police the absurdities and manipulations in the upholding of the law by officers and employees within his police force.
Germany two weeks ago protested to Zimbabwe over the alleged seizure of tea and timber plantation properties owned by German citizens by Mugabes supporters.
The embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Harare wrote to Zimbabwes Foreign Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi protesting against continued violation of the BIPPA between the two countries.
The embassy acted after farm invaders who are members or supporters of Mugabes ZANU PF party this month moved onto three properties belonging to German citizens.
The affected properties are Makandi Tea and Coffee (Private) Limited, Border Timbers Limited and Forrester Estate (Private) Limited.Manicaland was the scene of another gold rush in 2006 when thousands of illegal miners descended on the provinces Marange district in search diamonds.
Post published in: News