http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090319.wzimbabwe19/BNStory/International
The last stand of Zimbabwe’s white farmers
Nine years ago, Zimbabwe had more than 4,000 white-owned commercial farms. In a fresh wave of invasions, farmers keep their guns close at hand as ZANU-PF thugs lay siege to many of the 300 that remain
GEOFFREY YORK
From Friday’s Globe and Mail
March 20, 2009 at 2:18 AM EDT
CHEGUTU, ZIMBABWE — James Etheredge relaxes on his patio and surveys a bucolic scene of green lawns and orchards, where a peaceful river sparkles in the sunshine. But slowly, as he talks of the violence and destruction that surround him, the pastoral landscape emerges as something very different: a war zone.
On the river behind him, calmly fishing now, are the farm invaders, young thugs who wear the T-shirts of a prominent member of the long-ruling ZANU-PF political party.
They set up their camp at the entrance gate, where they nailed their posters to the farm buildings. “Our Land, Our Sovereignty,” the posters say, bearing a large photo of President Robert Mugabe.
The thugs have repeatedly ordered Mr. Etheredge and his brother to surrender their 110-hectare citrus farm, one of the biggest in Zimbabwe with 6,000 tonnes of fruit waiting to be harvested this month. So far the young invaders have refrained from violence, but there is a menace in their presence.
The assault on the citrus farm is just the latest in a fresh wave of invasions of the dwindling white-owned commercial farms in Zimbabwe, a last-ditch scramble for free land before the new coalition government can prohibit the practice. About 80 farms have been seized and at least 50 more are under siege, sparking a crisis inside the new government as Mr. Mugabe continues to defend the invasions.
“I’m not afraid,” Mr. Etheredge says, gazing at the young men who invaded his land. “I’ve told these guys, ‘If you come into my house, I will kill you.’”
He speaks of guns and death with the nonchalance of someone who has seen violence around him for years. “I killed a person in my house last March,” he says, and shrugs.
“I’m not afraid,” Mr. Etheredge says, gazing at the young men who invaded his land. “I’ve told these guys, ‘If you come into my house, I will kill you.’”
He speaks of guns and death with the nonchalance of someone who has seen violence around him for years. “I killed a person in my house last March,” he says, and shrugs.<<<
I fear for the same here, the steam and words are creeping into the public’s ear.
I have followed these reports for several years and they are as ugly and bloody as any story ever told.
LOL, speaking of farms, Ms. obama and the White House Organic garden, I ran across the original petition and it reads about word for word, what the Ms. said to the press.
I had forgotten the words of the petition, but it does call for an Organic garden and it does call for a part of the food to go to the local food banks.......
It is on the site that I am posting all the posts from, earlier it was on the home page still:
http://www.sharingsustainablesolutions.org/?cat=115&paged=2