Concern as silence prevails over ongoing farm attacks
By Alex Bell
08 November 2010
Concern has been raised that silence over ongoing farm attacks across the
country is playing into the hands of ZANU PF, who continue to insist that
the agricultural sector is well on its way to recovery.
Robert Mugabe’s party has been quick to claim that all is well in the
farming sector, which has been destroyed by a decade of state sponsored land
grabs. The forced take-overs of commercial land have also wrecked the
economy and left the nation unable to feed itself. But ZANU PF insists that
the sector is recovering, blaming Western targeted sanctions for any
downturn.
But these claims are far from the truth, with the country still dependent on
food aid, and the remaining handful of commercial farmers living in fear of
land invasions. These invasions have continued unabated under the unity
government, which promised to protect the property rights of all
Zimbabweans. In recent months the attacks have left even more farmers and
their farm workers homeless, while last month a farmer who has been fighting
to remain on his land, was shot and killed on his property.
Former Chegutu farmer Ben Freeth, whose homestead was burnt to the ground by
land invaders, said on Monday that fear has driven people to silence. He
said that even the country’s main farmers’ union is increasingly afraid to
speak out about the continued abuses on farms, saying the “conspiracy of
silence is playing right into the hands of Mugabe’s party.”
Freeth has expressed concern that the Commercial Farmers’ Union’s new
publication, AgriZim, is shying away from reporting on the truth of Zimbabwe’s
farm situation. Freeth said: “There is no news in the magazine at all of the
main issues, that hamper us all in our quest to want to farm and be a part
of rebuilding Zimbabwe, including lawlessness, corruption of the judiciary,
illegal evictions, farm murders and assaults.”
“In Chipinge there is huge chaos with officials taking over land. Hundreds
of cattle are being stolen, workers are being beaten and no one wants to say
anything because they are afraid,” Freeth told SW Radio Africa,
Freeth also expressed frustration that there has been no further information
made available about the fate of a land invader who had fled to the UK and
appealed to remain in the United Kingdom, on asylum grounds. According to
the UK Daily Mail newspaper the woman, whose identity cannot be named for
legal reasons in the UK, and referred to only as SK, confessed to having
beaten up to 10 people during two land invasions. Her appeal was rejected by
High Court judge, Justice Ouseley.
Sitting at the Upper Tribunal Immigration and Asylum Chamber, he accused the
woman of ‘crimes against humanity’ and said the state sponsored violence was
akin to genocide. The judge said the farm invasions were ‘part of
widespread, systematic attacks’ against white farmers and their black
workers, carried out with the full knowledge of the regime ‘as a deliberate
act of policy’.
Although Justice Ouseley admitted the woman was a ‘lesser participant’ in
the violence he said she took ‘a voluntary, even if reluctant’ part in the
invasions. He said even though she had a ‘peripheral role’ she still made ‘a
substantial contribution to genocide.’ The judge likened her role in the
invasions to that of a concentration camp guard in Nazi Germany during the
Holocaust saying ‘we are satisfied that the two farm invasions were crimes
against humanity.’
Freeth told SW Radio Africa that this ruling was “landmark”, but said it was
“disturbing” that there is no sign of this woman ever facing justice for her
crimes.
“The UK all but promised to send her back to Zimbabwe where she could,
presumably, commit more crimes against humanity. It’s very disturbing for
those who have been victims of these crimes,” Freeth said.
Freeth meanwhile expressed hope that the UK ruling would be “the first of
many more to come.” He said, as the truth about Mugabe’s land grab campaign
slowly begins to reveal itself, the more likely it is that international
courts will make the same decision.
“What we need is for people to start speaking out against the evil that is
happening, and until people do, then crimes against humanity will continue,”
Freeth said.