Four farmers evicted by courts as land takeover continues

Four Chipinge commercial farmers have all been ordered to immediately vacate their properties or face a possible jail term, as the state’s takeover of farms under so-called land ‘reform’ continues.

Magistrate Samuel Dzuze on Tuesday found all four farmers guilty of refusing to leave their properties, charges brought against them under the Gazetted Land (Consequential Provisions) Act. These same charges have been laid against more than 150 of the remaining commercial farmers who have tried to hang on to their properties. In separate judgements on Tuesday, the Magistrate sentenced the four farmers to pay US$800 fines and vacate their properties. Only one farmer, Mike Odendaal from Hillcrest farm, has been given more than 24 hour to pack up his belongings. The others all have to be off their properties by Wednesday evening.

The magistrate ruled that the farmers would be jailed for two years each if they did not comply with the ruling. The four were also denied the right to appeal against the judgement, saying there was ‘no doubt’ in his ruling.
Urgent applications are now set to be filed in Harare on behalf of the farmers.

The Commercial Farmers Union (CFU) reported that the situation in court was very tense, with a heavy police presence. One of the farmers convicted was Algernon Taffs, who was jailed for two hours after the ruling, with police also warning him that he would be jailed for five years if he ignored the court ruling. The CFU also reported that the farmers were desperately moving their possessions into the local Dutch Reform Church for safety.

The convicted farmers are:

Algernon Taffs of Chirega Farm, Chipinge
Dawie Joubert of Stilfontein, Chipinge
Mike Odendaal of Hillcrest farm, Chipinge
Mike Jahme of Silverton Farm, Chipinge

The court’s decision to force the farmers off their land comes just days after the CFU called on the unity government to intervene to stop the ongoing seizure of land. In the past year, the renewed campaign to drive
commercial farmers off their properties has intensified, with violent evictions of farmers, their families and their workers, and the fast-track prosecution of farmers in court. The CFU has said that more than 150 farmers
are still facing prosecution by the Attorney General’s office, while more than 80 farms have been seized since last February.

CFU president Deon Theron told SW Radio Africa that his organisation ‘deplores’ the government’s failure to stop what he called ‘a few extremists’ from violently threatening, harassing and forcibly evicting farmers and
their workers. These ongoing acts of lawlessness have been epitomised by violence against farmers and their workers, with complete impunity. Local police have refused to assist farmers, labelling the land attacks a
‘political’ issue. Theron explained that the attacks “violate the basic principles enunciated in the Global Political Agreement (GPA).”