Magistrate acquits Mugabe ‘insulter’
By Pindai Dube
Saturday, 19 November 2011 15:25
BULAWAYO – Bulawayo magistrate,Victor Mpofu acquitted a 76-year-old white
commercial farmer and miner, Mike Van Royen who was arrested in July this
year on charges of insulting President Robert Mugabe.
Van Royen who runs Cynthia Mine and Asher Estates in Matobo district in
Matabeleland South province was arrested after a group of Zanu PF youths
attempted to grab his properties.
Lennon and Rodney are claiming to be rightful owners of Asher Estates saying
that the properties were left in their hands by their late parents.
Van Royen was charged under Section 33 of the Criminal Law (Codification and
Reform) Act.
After hearing both submissions from Van Royen’s lawyer Nathan Tawanda
Mashayamombe and state witnesses Lennon and Rodney, magistrate Mpofu
acquitted Van Royen.
Van Royen has been running the mine and the farm for the past 36 years.
Allegations against Van Royen are that sometime in July he was phoned by
Bulawayo Zanu PF secretary for security Joe Tshuma over the farm and mining
business and he told him “to go and hang together with Mugabe.”
There are currently less than 200 white commercial farmers left out of at
least 4 500 white commercial farmers who used to farm in Zimbabwe until the
year 2000 when Zanu PF embarked on land grab.
The land grabs programmes which were led by militant war veterans in that
year resulted in several white farmers losing their land and fleeing the
country.
Mugabe says the violent land grab exercise was meant to correct historical
imbalances.
Farm equipment and materials were also grabbed by the new farmers as well as
livestock and crops which were later harvested and sold by the land
invaders.
Government said it will compensate the improvements that were made on the
farms by the white farmers, whose land was compulsorily acquired.
Mugabe has vowed that the land reform will not be reversed.
In July this year, a Sadc tribunal ruled in favour of two white commercial
farmers, Louis Fick and Michael Campbell that they can stay on their farms
and continue with their farming.
The Zimbabwe government, however, said it does not recognise the tribunal as
the country and most Sadc members are yet to approve that the tribunal
rulings be effective.