Action Alert: Five people shot – Friedewil Farm, Zimbabwe
We’ve just had word that three five of Louis Fick’s farmworkers were shot today. [A media release received later indicates the figure is five, not three - see update here, with more details] Two of them are in serious condition at Chinhoyi hospital. In addition to the shootings, two more staff houses at Friedewil Farm in Lions Den have been burned down.
Louis Fick himself is not at the farm – he is unable to live there anymore and is currently seeking legal advice and assistance from the South African embassy. Louis Fick is a South African national and he is meant to be protected under the SADC Tribunal ruling that they be allowed to remain on their land.
We’ve been told that the man who carried out the shootings has himself been beaten in reprisal. This in itself is alarming because it suggests the violence may spiral with further reprisal attacks taking place. The police do little to prevent violence against farmworkers so the people living on the farm are vulnerable and unprotected.
Louis Fick has been subjected to sustained unlawful behaviour at the hands of the Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank, Edward Mashiringwani, for some time now. Mashiringwani has taken over more than 98% of Fick’s Friedewil Farm and he, along with his farm manager Shepherd Makoni and supporters, are responsible for a wide range of abuses, including violence, theft, arson and gross animal cruelty.
Last month the Deputy Governor denied Fick access to about 4,000 pigs, refusing to allow him to feed or water them, in an attempt to use animal cruelty to force Fick to give up the last of his piggeries. Please see our Action Alert last month for more information on what happened last month.
Violence in Zimbabwe is rising rapidly in the wake of the MDC-T’s disengagement with the Zanu PF party. Yesterday, Zimbabwean immigration officials barred the United Nation’s torture investigator, Manfred Nowak, from entering Zimbabwe. Mr Nowak termed this act a “serious diplomatic incident” and also said ““There are certainly some parts of the government who do not want me to assess the current conditions of torture”.
PLEASE TAKE ACTION:
Call or sms the Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank, Edward Mashiringwani, and tell him that the world is watching and shocked by his unlawful actions. Advise him that you are contacting your governments in your countries and will be doing all you can to call attention to this shameful state of affairs. Then please do just that.
Cell: +263 (0)11 800582
Email Mashiringwani: emashiringwani@rbz.co.zw
Call or fax the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, where he works, and insist that Mashiringwani is asked to stop the violence on Friedewil Farm. Make sure the people he works with are aware of what he is doing and that they also know the world is watching. It is very likely that people at the RBZ do not know that people have been shot today. Please tell them, and tell them that you are utterly horrified. Ask them to remind Mashiringwani that attempted murder is a crime and that one day, justice will be done.
Tel: +263 4 70300, +263 4 70311, +263 4 703726, +263 4 703132, +263 4 790562, +263 4 790972, +263 4 791156, +263 4 791162, +263 4 791205, +263 4 791206
Fax: +263 4 707800 and +263 4 706450
Email the RBZ: rbzmail@rbz.co.zw
Please be calm, polite and factual when calling.
Zimbabweans need you to take action. Please leave feedback in the comments below. Thank you.
Update ~2:30pm – Media Release received:
Five workers shot on SADC protected SA-owned Zim farm
Five Zimbabwean farm workers have been shot on Friedawil farm in the Chinhoyi, district about 100 kilometres north of Harare. The farm belongs to Louis Fick, a South African citizen, who is vice president of the Commercial Farmers’ Union (CFU).“We have just received news of the shooting,” said CFU president Deon Theron. “Unfortunately Louis wasn’t on the farm at the time of the shooting as he is in Harare meeting with his lawyers.”
Fick’s cook was shot in the chest, a second employee was shot in the head and a third sustained leg injuries. The situation regarding the other two employees is still to be confirmed.
The wife of the cook is reported to have been shot in the head and her condition is believed to be serious.
The injured employees have been rushed to Chinhoyi and will be taken to Harare by ambulance.
In addition, a number of homes belonging to the farm workers were burnt down – the exact number has not yet been confirmed.
As has been the case on previous occasions, workers are being blocked from feeding Fick’s cattle, pigs and crocodiles.
The person allegedly responsible for the shootings is Tichiona (surname unknown), an employee of Edward Mashiringwani, deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe.
Mashiringwani has continuously harassed Fick and his workers in his often violent his attempts to take over the farm.
It is reported that after the shootings, Tichiona was beaten up and is believed to have been taken to Chinhoyi hospital. There is no information on his condition.
An updated report just received from Zimbabwe adds a new angle to the incident. It has been confirmed that the bullets used in the attack were rubber bullets – to which, as a rule, only the armed forces have access.
Currently there has been no confirmation of any police reaction to the latest shootings. As a rule, police do not attend to incidents which they categorise as “political”.
Intelligence reports indicate that violence against the remaining white commercial farmers is to be stepped up by Zanu PF. The CFU says that, judging by the recent surge in the number of incidents, which include the burning down of SADC protected Mount Carmel farm, belonging to Mike Campbell, this information is accurate.
Fick is one of 79 farmers who took their case to the SADC Tribunal in Windhoek and his farm is protected by the SADC Tribunal’s ruling of 28 November 2008.
Despite this landmark ruling handed down by a respected international court, Zanu PF has refused to recognise the ruling and has continued to relentlessly harass farmers and their workers across the country.
Fick has met with the South African ambassador in Harare on numerous occasions to seek assistance but has received no support from either the ambassador or from the South African government.* (See additional information on page 3).
“We have been fearing a flare up of this type of violence as reports are being received countrywide of the upscaling of violence by Zanu PF and the redeployment of the youth militia, especially in the rural areas,” said Theron.
“There is a complete breakdown of the rule of law and the situation is extremely volatile – the country is on a knife-edge,” Theron warned. “SADC, the African Union and the international community need to understand that it will take just one small spark to ignite the violence countrywide.”
This latest incident comes the day after UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Manfred Nowak, was denied entry to Zimbabwe and was detained overnight at Harare airport.
Speaking from Johannesburg Mr Nowak said he remained very concerned about conditions in the country.
“I deeply regret that the Government has deprived me of the possibility to objectively assess the situation of torture and ill-treatment through gathering on-the-spot evidence from all available sources…,” said the UN expert.
“Each hour is critical,” he stressed.
On Tuesday, the CFU issued a statement calling on the Zimbabwean government “to immediately stablise the current situation as a matter of urgency.”
The CFU said the call was being issued in the interests of the nation as a whole.
“As commercial farmers, we are prepared to contribute to Zimbabwe’s food self sufficiency, but can only do so when given the opportunity. Full production of commercial farmland would alleviate the necessity for the constant importation of essential food to Zimbabwe,” the CFU said.
The CFU called on the Zimbabwean government to clarify whether white commercial farmers have any role to play in the future of food production in Zimbabwe.
Previously an exporter of food to the region and known as the bread-basket of Africa, Zimbabwe now relies heavily on food aid to feed its struggling population.
Earlier this month the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation’s director general, Jacques Diouf, said: “In the fight against hunger, the focus should be on increasing food production. It’s common sense… that agriculture would be given priority, but the opposite has happened.”
