Bromley Farm workers evicted
By Taurai Mangudhla, Staff Writer
Wednesday, 14 December 2011 11:14
HARARE – Close to 150 families at Bromley Farm were yesterday left homeless
after they were forcibly evicted by the new landowner, who apparently
acquired the property from its former white owners.
The families were left in the open with their children and belongings at a
time the rainy season is around the corner.
Evicted workers described this as a reversal of the country’s controversial
fast track land reform programme of 2000, which saw many white farmers
losing their land to blacks and the ongoing indigenisation programme which
seeks to give black locals a majority stake in all businesses.
Scores of dejected farm workers gathered around the farm, 46 kilometres from
Harare along the Harare-Mutare road together with their belongings after
being displaced by heavily armed police officers during the forceful
eviction.
The uniformed forces were working together with other “hired bouncers” to
raze the farm compound to the ground in a typical operation Murambatsvina
restore order fashion.
Laston Dinala, an elderly farm worker in his late 60’s, said he was left
with nowhere to take his wife and three grand children.
“My belongings are now along the railway line and I have nowhere to go. I
have worked on this farm since I came into the country from Malawi in 1963
and I wonder if this is what President (Robert) Mugabe wants,” said a gloomy
Dinala.
“We have not been paid our salaries and gratuity so we can’t go anywhere,”
he added.
Joseph Chihuri, a Zanu PF Goromonzi South official, said the move was at
tangent with what his party leader Mugabe preached at the just-ended Zanu PF
national conference.
“It pains us to see people who have lived here for so long being evicted.
They have put their effort to build these houses and now they have to leave
their parents graves behind with nothing,” he said.
“We are in fact losing votes and this will also bring back cholera because
there is no shelter and children will get sick,” Chihuri added.
Another Zanu PF Mashonaland East official Joice Chirodza said the evictions
were a serious let down to the party’s revolutionary struggle.
“This is clear selling out and it is suspicious that the policemen were
hiding when they saw journalists. Why should they run away if they are under
(police commissioner general Augustine) Chihuri’s directive,” she said,
adding that the displacement would destroy the whole ward.
Bromley Farm is a tobacco processing concern and now owned by a black farmer
who is believed to be out of the country studying.
His twin brother has been masquerading as the new land owner and evicting
people.
Minutes from a July 26, 2006, meeting between farm workers and Lombard’s
family reveal that the farm owner had guaranteed his employees shelter on
his property until they were paid full terminal benefits and relocation
packages.
The twin brother escaped from raging farm workers in his car when the Daily
News crew arrived.
Lombard — who now resides at an old people’s home in Marondera could not be
reached for comment at the time of going to print.