Border Timbers invaded by ZANU-PF “settlers”
By Tererai Karimakwenda
10 January, 2012
Zimbabwe’s leading timber producer, Border Timbers, is reportedly struggling
to cope with ongoing invasions by groups of “settlers” who are not only
destroying the soil but are ignoring bilateral investment protection
agreements, intended to protect the German owners.
The police have made no arrests and management is afraid to anger the
illegal settlers, who are alleged to be mostly ZANU PF supporters. SW Radio
Africa spoke to managing director Doug Dell who denied reports of recent
invasions. “We have no idea how that got into the press. There have been no
new invasions,” Dell insisted.
But a villager in the Chimanimani area said there are new invaders “nearly
every week”. Speaking in Shona he said manager Dell fears for his life and
his job, and is trying to maintain good relations with the settlers.
The villager also described how the settlers are planting crops, especially
maize, on very steep land in the mountainous terrain. “Unoto rime wakamira,
wakatarisa gomo,” (you actually till the land standing up, facing the hill.)
Environmentalists have warned how dangerous this is because the soil washes
away when it rains since it is loosened. Soil has been washed away in many
parts of Zimbabwe where trees have been cut for firewood, killing any hope
of food production for future generations. Once soil has gone, it never
comes back.
On their website Border Timbers claim that in all their operations they are
guided by an “Environmental Management Policy” that ensures minimal damage
to the environment, a practice that is clearly now beyond their ability to
enforce.
Border Timbers is owned by the German von Pezold family, who initiated two
legal cases against the Zimbabwean government back in 2010, after gangs of
ZANU-PF invaded and occupied their land for three weeks.
The armed gangs looted over $1 million worth of crops and the government
only ordered them to leave after Germany threatened to withhold aid to
Zimbabwe. The two countries signed a bilateral investment promotion and
protection agreement (BIPPA) which is supposed to protect property owned by
German citizens.
Last month two lodges on the Hippo Valley Estates in the Lowveld were
illegally invaded by war vets and ZANU PF supporters have occupied council
owned buildings in Harare and other urban areas.
The few remaining white commercial farmers are under constant threat and
this all characterises the ongoing lawlessness that the coalition government
has failed to bring to an end.