The ZIMBABWE Situation | Our
thoughts and prayers are with Zimbabwe - may peace, truth and justice prevail. |
4 June 2005
AND ENDANGER VITAL BREEDING HERD
Invaders are terrorising Zimbabwean farm workers on an arid Mwenezi cattle and wildlife ranch in Masvingo province, putting at risk more than 2 500 valuable beef cattle and threatening the survival of the only wildlife herds left in the area.
A group of nine hired
thugs led by Mr Muzorori, who works as a right-hand man for the local member of
parliament, drove onto the ranch in a National Housing and Public Construction
vehicle and ordered workers from two of the cattle stations out of their
homes.
After they had been
rounded up and forced to flee into the bush, the thugs moved on to the safari
camp where staff members were threatened and forced to
leave.
The safari camp staff is now holed up at the
main house with South African born farm owner Brian Cawood, who Muzorori is
trying to force off his ranch.
Contact has been lost
with the workers and it is impossible to ascertain if any have been injured or
killed.
Cawood’s award-winning
cattle herd represents a third of the last genetic breeding stock of beef cattle
in the country. It comprises pedigree
Brahmans, Herefords and valuable crossbred
Brahfords.
The country’s
commercial beef herd has been reduced from some 2 500 000 at its peak to an
estimated 150 000 as a result of the chaotic and violent land invasions and the
wholesale slaughter of animals.
Prior to the land
invasions, the Mwenezi area earned valuable foreign currency from the game
ranches that had been built up with dedication and at great expense over many
years.
The district is
experiencing a serious drought and Cawood, who is one of the few farmers left,
is keeping water troughs full for the approximately 1 200 eland, 800 giraffe and
600 zebra which rely on him for their survival.
The ranch has no
surface water and exists solely on boreholes up to 150 metres deep which pump
water from the ancient Karoo sands system in the sub base. Over 40km of pipelines reticulate the water
to stations throughout the ranch.
In 2001 the ranch was
invaded and, within a few months it had been turned into a desert by the
settlers who had no knowledge of farming and no technical skills.
Eventually they moved
off and Cawood worked around the clock with his team of 75 farm workers to
re-erect fences and rehabilitate the entire ranch.
Speaking from his
farmhouse, which is surrounded by a security fence and located on a hilltop with
no escape route, Cawood expressed deep concern for his farm workers who have
been forced to abandon their homes and scatter without food or warm
clothing.
“These men are peaceful
and kind,” he said, “good cattle men are not aggressive. They do not deserve to be constantly
threatened and terrorised by thugs.”
Although the police in
charge of the province have made it clear that the ongoing violence and attacks
are unacceptable, Cawood said that the local police are too terrified to respond
effectively.
“Right now thugs
operating as feudal warlords are running the country and it appears that senior
Zanu-PF ministers have lost communication and control,” said Cawood.
After President Mugabe
lost the referendum to change the constitution in February 2000, he used thugs
and so-called “war veterans” to create the necessary political climate to
destabilise the country and overrun the commercial farms.
“Today chaos rules,”
said Cawood. “The brutal, inhumane
treatment of thousands of shack dwellers and informal traders who have had their
homes and livelihoods destroyed demonstrates the extent of the violence and
carnage.”
Cawood’s parents left
South Africa for Zimbabwe in 1960 because of their opposition to apartheid.
Despite their commitment and contribution to the Zimbabwe, they have been wiped
out and are now virtual prisoners in their home.
In 1987 Cawood himself
decided to invest in Zimbabwe and received the approval of the Zimbabwean
Reserve Bank to set up a farming operation.
A qualified civil
engineer, Cawood is known for the assistance he has provided to the entire
farming area and his significant contribution to the cattle industry.
It does not make sense
for Cawood to be forced out of the community at a time when the country needs
his expertise and the government has announced efforts to bring back specialised
commercial farmers to resuscitate the wrecked agricultural
sector.
“We have hung on all
this time hoping that sanity will prevail and that we can begin to rebuild the
country and feed our starving people,” Cawood said.
ENDS
For further information:
Brian
Cawood
Mwenezi area,
Zimbabwe
Tel: +263 14 470 or
574
Or:
Mike
Clark
Mwenezi area,
Zimbabwe
Tel: +263 14 244
E-mail: mac@mweb.co.zw
Forwarded by:
Mrs Glyn Hunter
Tel: +27 31 572 2668
Cell: +27 82 774 2284