Theron, who stepped down at the CFU annual congress on Tuesday, said in a farewell message that life had not been easy for white farmers evicted from their properties and those few still remaining on the land.
“We have all suffered under a dictatorship that not only robbed us of our legitimately owned possessions, but ruined our lives as our homes and source of income was also taken from us,” he said.
There are only 300 white commercial farmers actively engaged in farming in Zimbabwe, down from about 4 500 at the start of President Robert Mugabe’s controversial land reform programme in 2000.
Zanu (PF) supporters, so-called war veterans and members of the army and police have stepped up farm invasions since the formation of a coalition government by Mugabe and former opposition leader – now Prime Minister – Morgan Tsvangirai in February 2009.
Scores of white farmers have so far been convicted by the courts for refusing to vacate their properties which have been illegally occupied by Zanu (PF) supporters.
Zimbabwe's courts are dominated by Zanu (PF) judges who are often beneficiaries of land-grabs themselves while the few judges who rule in favour of white claimants end up losing their jobs.
Theron, however, said that although it was always going to be difficult to stop all this happening, he was “extremely proud that we never became cry babies but still continue to fight against overwhelming odds for our rights on a daily basis”.
“Even though we allowed ourselves to become divided at times, overall we are still united in our struggle for justice,” the CFU boss said.
Post published in: News