- Dear Family and Friends,
-
- There is a desperate air in Zimbabwe as we approach the
10th August when almost 3000 commercial farmers have been ordered to
cease all agricultural production and move off their properties. There
has not been the slightest indication from our government that they will
change their minds and stop this catastrophic situation; even the fact
of 6 million starving people already needing food aid will not deter them. I
would like to try and put the reality of this horror into words for you
and apologise for what will be a long letter.
Recently I had four people sitting around my kitchen table and they
had come to say goodbye to each other. They were a white farmer and his
wife and their two black employees. The white farmer had been evicted from
his home of 23 years by a bunch of thugs claiming to represent the government.
The farmer had not received any notification of compulsory land acquisition from
the government but was powerless to protect himself, his wife, their employees,
livestock, equipment or property. The farmer lost everything he had
worked his entire life for. He lost his land and house, the fencing and
timber plantations. He lost his borehole and it's motor, the farm buildings,
cottage, dam, cattle race and dip tank. He lost his tractor and plough, fuel
and tools. He lost all his laying hens, their feed and all the equipment
in the runs. Perhaps worst of all he lost his retirement and pension, his
security and peace of mind. All was taken by a mob of men who arrived at
the gate and took over. The farmer and his wife are leaving the country
because they know only farming.
Across the table from the farmer sat the last two workers. Both men
had worked for the farmer for almost two decades, both are married with
a number of children and both knew that this was the last goodbye. The
older of the two men, Sekuru, doesn't know exactly how he old he is. His
eyesight is not too good anymore and most of his teeth are gone. Sekuru's
wife is blind, diabetic and asthmatic and it took almost all of his monthly
wage on the farm to buy her medicines. These two men have also lost everything
to the bunch of thugs that came to the farm gate. They have lost their
jobs, their homes and their income. They have lost the ability to buy food
and medicines and pay school fees for their children. They have lost
the eggs, chickens, meat, vegetables and fruit that the farmer regularly
gave them.
Worst of all these two men have lost the ability to provide for their families.
The eyes of all the people around my kitchen table were filled with tears
as the farmer and his wife paid off their last two workers. They had shared
so much and I could hardly bear to watch their last handshakes or listen
to their final good-byes.
This scene is about to be played out on 3000 other Zimbabwean farms with
at least a quarter of a million people having to say goodbye. In the midst
of this human tragedy is the animals and no one know for sure what is going
to happen to them - cats and dogs, horses and ponies, sheep and cows, chickens
and ostriches. For many many months the Zimbabwe SPCA have been rescuing
animals forcibly abandoned by farmers who have been given as little as
one hour to vacate their homes by militant mobs. Recently a terrified cat
was rescued from its hiding place under a bricked in bath tub on a farm
in Bindura by the ZNSPCA director, Meryl Harrison. Meryl reported
that when young Thomas Bayley was lying on the floor with his arm through
the crack, just able to touch the fur of the cat and with tears streaming
down his face, she went and met with the war veterans and gained their
approval to break down the brickwork. The traumatized animal was finally
rescued and reunited with the family. In order to gain the war veterans'
consent Meryl promised to return the following day and treat their animals,
which she did.
Only a miracle will stop this mass eviction of farmers on the 10th of August.
If you are religious I humbly ask that you pray for us, our farmers, thousands
of farm workers and their families. If you have a few dollars to spare
and would like to help may I suggest the following three options: For all
victims of political violence (with specific emphasis on farm workers)
who have been displaced and require support and rehabilitation, contact
Rob Monroe at the Zimbabwe Trust, email: <mailto:r.monro@virgin.net>r.monro@virgin.net
for details. For farmers and their workers desperately trying to stay
on their feet and who have lost their homes and security, contact James
Maberly at the Zimbabwe Agricultural Welfare Trust, email <mailto:admin@zawt.org>admin@zawt.org
for details. For the animals, often forcibly left unfed and uncared for
at the mercy of militant thugs and desperately in need of food and drugs,
contact Ann Kempen at email: <mailto:solemio@iafrica.com>solemio@iafrica.com
All three of these organisations are registered charities; all guarantee
that your money will get to exactly the intended beneficiaries and will
not be diverted to other purposes.
Thank you, until next week,
- love,
Cathy
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