CIO operative tells farm owners that the ‘President is the law’
Invaders arrived at Mount Carmel Farm in Chegutu, Mashonaland West province, Zimbabwe on 9 March accompanied by the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO), a lands officer, Mr Makashore, and police from Chegutu.
Mount Carmel is owned by the Campbells who are the first applicants in the Campbell farm test case. In November 2008 they were given full protection to continue farming without disturbance by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Tribunal in Windhoek, Namibia.
The invaders of Mount Carmel were led by Peter Chamada who said this time that he is Dr Shamuyarira’s son. Previously he claimed to be Dr Shamuyarira’s nephew.
Dr Nathan Shamuyarira is spokesman for President Mugabe’s Zanu PF party.
Chamada showed the Campbells the offer letter for Dr Shamuyarira and, for the first time Dr Shamuyarira’s acceptance letter.
David Drury from Gollop and Blank, the Campbell’s attorney in Harare, spoke on the phone to both the lands officer and the police sergeant.
He informed them that Mr Chamada had no authority to take up residence on the farm until such time as there was an eviction order. He quoted case law to back this up.
However, the CIO operative told the owners of Mount Carmel farm that the President was the law. What the President said, they must do.
He said Mr Mugabe had insisted in his 85th birthday speech that the whites must vacate: “The few remaining white farmers should vacate their farms as they have no place here.”
The owners argued that the President was not the law but were cautioned they were being disrespectful to the President.
They then insisted that the law must first take its course and explained the SADC Tribunal judgement. In response, the authorities were adamant that Mr Chamada’s cohorts should take up residence immediately.
They have duly done so in the barns.
Throughout the Chegutu district, similar invasions are taking place. On Downs farm the house has been completely looted and the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) manager has taken over. Chegutu police have allowed this to take place.
As a result, dairy cows are now dying – this in a country which is being forced to import milk from South Africa at more than double the price paid by South African consumers.
On Twyford farm the workers for the Senator taking the farm made the owner’s farm workers eat dog food last week when they came back to feed the dogs. This was to make sure it wasn’t poisoned
On Reydon farm, the owner obtained a High Court order to stop the local lands officer from taking over his house and evicted his youth through the Messenger of the Court.
The lands officer, accompanied by the police, responded by smashing the locks again and throwing out the owner’s belongings from the outbuilding he has taken over.
On Northleigh farm the lands officer defied another High Court order and broke into the house with police moving all the owner’s furniture into two rooms.
On Stockdale Citrus Estate, owned by the embattled Etheredge family, Senator Edna Madzongwe, President of the Senate, continues to halt work on the farm and the 350 workers are to unable to reap their 6 000 ton citrus crop.
“As a result of the escalating farm evictions in Chegutu and across Zimbabwe, production is grinding to a halt and everyone suffers – the farmers, their farm workers, the livestock and virtually the entire population,” said Ben Freeth, son-in-law of Mike Campbell who owns Mount Carmel farm.
Food shortages and the high cost of basic staples such as maize (corn) meal, as well as vegetables, fruit and milk are creating immense hardship in a country where 94 percent of the population is unemployed.
The few who reap the rewards of the labours of farmers and farm workers who have struggled to maintain farming operations throughout the chaotic and violent land invasions of the past decade are Mugabe’s party elite.
For a small but previously highly productive country like Zimbabwe, this is a tragedy of epic proportions.
Via Press Release
March 10th, 2009 20:26
We are all so tired of reading stories like this.
I’m sure there’s a reason why not, but I just wonder, sometimes, why farmers don’t head off to Harare with a couple of trucks, rent a mob, and get them to act threatening when these chancers come along,on behalf of the farm workers or whatever. Or get the real farm workers to call in their relatives from town…Whatever it costs, consider it an investment in saving the farm!
The chefs’ day is done (please let it be so). If the farmers can just hang on for a few more weeks, they should be secure, along with their workers and the valuable capacity to produce food.