Zimbabwe

["Ian Murray" <seamus2001@xxxxxxxx>]

Land grab makes black farm workers homeless
War veterans leave 20,000 to sleep by the roadside

Special report: Zimbabwe

Andrew Meldrum in Hwedza
Wednesday August 22, 2001
The Guardian

Twenty thousand black farm workers and their families were thrown out
of their homes this week as President Robert Mugabe's war veterans
intensified their campaign to destroy Zimbabwe's white farming
community.

The war veterans and other militant supporters of Mr Mugabe have
brought 14 white-owned farms in the productive Hwedza district to a
halt and forced the labourers to disperse. Many of the labourers have
nowhere to go and can be seen by the side of dusty roads seeking
shelter from the bitter winter nights.

At least five white farmers have abandoned their land under threats of
violence and 20 more farms have been forced to stop all work. The war
veterans go to new properties each day.

In Hwedza the campaign is led by man called Chigwedere, described by
one farmer as "a war lord crazed by his own power".

"He is creating a humanitarian crisis here," the farmer added.

"His aim is to rid this area of white farmers and he doesn't care how
much misery he causes to our workers. Our workers are frightened and
suffering and Chigwedere is preventing us from even offering them any
assistance."

Nearby a grey-haired man carrying a suitcase on his head stopped to
catch his breath. He was too frightened to give his name.

"We were thrown off our farm yesterday and our family was scattered,"
he said.

"Last night we slept under a tree. We hope we can find some friends a
few miles away where we can get some food and a place to sleep. Then
we must keep moving because of all this trouble."

On the back roads there were more families lugging their belongings in
duffel bags and satchels. Some were heading for the nearby towns of
Marondera and Ruwa.

The war veterans are starting fires which are sweeping through
hectares of dry grazing pastures. Columns of smoke can be seen rising
from the rolling Hwedza countryside.

"It is a wave moving through this district and it might just engulf
the whole country," a farmer said.

"They want to get all the white farmers off their land. Now they are
hitting at our labour because they think that is our weak point."

The focus has moved to Hwedza since the war veterans forced about 100
white families to flee their homes in the north-western district of
Chinhoyi last week. Nearly 50 homes were looted and vandalised.

Twenty-one white farmers who were arrested when they tried to help a
besieged neighbour remained in jail last night despite Monday's high
court order to release them on bail .

They were not released, because officials had not yet produce the
warrants for their release, the official Zimbabwe Broadcasting
Corporation reported.

By forcing white farmers off the land Mr Mugabe hopes to regain the
support of the rural black population. The presidential election is
due in April and Mr Mugabe, already in power for 21 years, has
announced that he intends to stand for another six-year-term.

The continuing disturbances caused by the land invasions are blamed by
veterinary experts for an outbreak of foot and mouth disease that has
hit the country and halted its once lucrative export trade of beef to
Europe.

"The land invaders have cut fences across the country and cattle are
roaming freely," a farmer said.

"We have already had anthrax and now it is foot and mouth. I am stuck
on my farm with my cattle and no labour."

The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) opposition condemned the
violence yesterday, saying: "The looming food shortages are a direct
result of this state-sponsored anarchy. This is not land reform; this
is thuggery."

The government admits that its land seizure policies are reducing
agriculture production. The finance minister, Simba Makoni, told MPs
that they had contributed to a 54% reduction in commercial planting of
maize, a staple crop.