Midlands University grabs Ian Smith’s farm
on January 5, 2013 at 3:17 pm
SHURUGWI — The Midlands State University (MSU) has reportedly taken over the
late Rhodesian Prime Minister Ian Smith’s Gwenhoro Farm, about 45km outside
Gweru.
The farm, which encloses Gweru City Council’s main supply dam Gwenhoro Dam,
was recently gazetted for compulsory acquisition by the government. Although
MSU spokesperson Sinikiwe Tirivanhu had not responded to questions sent on
her e-mail, farm manager Owen Jarman confirmed the grab.
He said he was now winding up farming operations and paying off terminal
benefits to his 35 employees, some of whom have been at the farm for over 40
years.
“I can confirm that the MSU will be taking over the farm, but all I can say
at the moment is that we are engaged with the university in some
negotiations as far as the exit date and other logistics are concerned,”
Jarman said.
Gwenhoro operations include cattle ranching with a herd of over 500 cattle,
a citrus plantation and poultry project with 3 000 layers. After Smith’s
death in November 2007, Jarman continued managing the farm, but reporting to
the late Rhodesian leader’s children based in Cape Town, South Africa.
It was not immediately clear if the university was going to take over the
livestock and farm machinery without paying compensation. Part of the 6
000-acre ranch was invaded by Zanu PF supporters at the height of the land
invasions in 2000.
The invasions coincided with the visit to Zimbabwe by the then Commonwealth
secretary-general Don McKinnon. But Smith, who led white-ruled Rhodesia
throughout the 1960s and 1970s, played down the incident saying he had good
working relations with the surrounding community.
“No, they all love me. I’ve got more black friends than (Robert) Mugabe at
present,” he said then. NewsDay