Posted on 07/11/2004 4:39:18 AM PDT by Ironfocus
Harare - The exodus of Zimbabwe's small and anguished white population is under way with record numbers leaving their homeland, mostly for Britain or Australia.
Few have the R30 000($5000) they need in foreign currency to transport their goods to new countries, and most are starting new lives with 22kg of clothes and a few photographs.
They say they have hung on during the past four tumultuous years hoping President Robert Mugabe's "hate" campaign against them would ease, but it did not, and two months ago when he shut down private schools for a week for raising fees, they lost their nerve.
Up to three million black Zimbabweans have also gone into exile, Estate agents say there has been a flood of houses on to the property market in the past few weeks that has slashed prices to record lows. Thousands of homes from bungalows to mansions along suburban avenues are on sale for as little as R150 000 ($25,000).
Up to three million black Zimbabweans have also gone into exile, mostly for economic reasons, but they hope to return one day. Most whites, of whom perhaps 30 000 remain in Zimbabwe, say they will never return.
"It was a painful decision because this is the only home we know," said Jeremy Callow, 55, one of Zimbabwe's best-known lawyers. "I love Zimbabwe, love the people, but can't take it any more."
The "last straw" is different for each family who boards the planes for distant lands.
Callow succumbed to "relentless" pressure traipsing through the courts to assist white farmers legally recover possessions, and when he succeeded, applying in vain to get court orders enforced.
'I can't cope any longer with seeing grown men cry' "I spent 80 percent of my time with farmers counselling them and I am not trained for that, nor can I cope any longer with seeing grown men cry.
"The courts do not have the capacity to process thousands of farms seized by the state. So they change the laws, move the goal posts."
Under a new law ahead of the flawed presidential elections in 2002, Callow, like thousands of other whites born in the country, had to renounce access to British or other foreign claims to citizenship to vote.
"It is costing an arm and a leg to claim my British citizenship now," he said.
Among about 350 white farmers who remain on the land enduring varying levels of instability are some who have never been touched by ruling Zanu-PF party militants but are now abandoning their homes.
"We have recently noticed quite a number who have been left alone the last four years but are leaving," said Hendrik Olivier, the director of the remnants of the once 4 000-strong Commercial Farmers' Union.
One of Zimbabwe's most successful younger industrialists, who asked not to be named, decided to go to Australia a few months after his family was attacked in December in their home about 20km south of Harare. The family moved to the city and tried to settle in a new and glamourous mansion in a leafy suburb. It is now up for sale.
"We couldn't recover. In April I sold my business and as soon as our work permit arrives we will go.
"We have young kids and schools are a problem. I will miss it, especially the bush. We have family in South Africa, but the future is uncertain there."
John Winward, 57, spent Monday night detained in police cells in Karoi, once a prosperous, pretty village 210km north of Harare.
Under pressure from Zanu-PF invaders to get off his farm last week, Winward went to the local police with court orders proving he was allowed to remain until September to process about R1,5 million of crops.
"The policeman didn't believe or understand the court order and locked me up for the night.
"I wish now we had quit when the heat was on a couple of years ago, but I couldn't walk away. I wasted time and money going to court to fight the inevitable.
"If I am left alone to get my tobacco and maize off and sell the cattle, then we will leave for Britain in a few weeks. We won't take anything; we can't afford to."
Father of four, Chris Shepherd, 38, forced off his Karoi farm 21 months ago and now almost penniless in Harare said he would never leave and waited for signs that the madness was waning.
"I am going to Australia at the end of the month to look for a job, perhaps as a labourer, and I do this with a heavy heart," he said.
David Coltart, an Opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) MP, said: "This is ethnic cleansing, not in the Bosnian sense of the phrase, as they knew they couldn't get away with wholesale murder, it's more subtle, designed to drive out whites because Mugabe believes whites provide funding and administrative support to the MDC.
"A year ago [information] minister Jonathan Moyo said whites would be 'sent out of the country' because they created the MDC. They are woefully mistaken if they think that driving them out will crush the MDC," he said.
"The laws were changed to deprive whites of any land they owned. Private schools were closed to get at whites even though most pupils are black.
"Mugabe said whites were 'enemies of the people' and he is still hammering away at them." - Foreign Service
Look, if you want to live in Mali where they speak French and 90% of the people are Muslim and another 9% have (ahem) indigenous beliefs, knock yourself out. I'll pass.
In fact, I think you missed his point; sometimes sarcasm should be pre-acknowledged.
However, I agree with your comment - "war criminals" has become just as misplaced a shroud as has "racist".
"can be fined" = "will be fined unless the cop has something better to do"
"Look, if you want to live in Mali where they speak French and 90% of the people are Muslim and another 9% have (ahem) indigenous beliefs, knock yourself out. I'll pass."
Trust me, it's your loss.
"Trust me, it's your loss."
Says one guy living in the US to another.
I have never been to Ghana but my husband has, two years ago...
shakedown city, and there is a seething hatred for whites, hidden when it had to be, but very apparent otherwise...
of course, then there's the Aids crisis which is beginning to hit Ghana hard...
Not so in the countryside but then again if one is going to travel there, you should know someone or a family. If I ever get to go, I'll be staying with my friend's family. Not going to worry about AIDS either so I don't plan on sleeping with anyone *lol*
On top of that where do you go? For years no country on earth would take you if you had a Zim or South African passport. Unless you could get an Irish or UK one you were stuck.
I worked for years helping a handful of people get a small amount out of both places, lived and worked there a couple of years and have a niece married to a South African who's family of doctors got out because they could get British passports.
However what I wanted to say was along the lines of - &%^ ^%# % ^&%$#* *&^$(*& a$$!!!
Well, we'll just have to have a difference of opinion. The transition from minority white rule began in 1979, which is now 25 years ago. Some insightful European Jews were able to exit Europe in considerably less than a quarter century before WWII. Once the transition to African tribal rule was complete, why did any of the resident whites think that the Western-style 'rule of law', much less their property and politicalstanding would be maintained?
Africa has a poor history of the end of colonial rule. One man, one vote, one time.
dvwjr
Mugabe wasn't always this nutty. Things started out relatively mild and then just went down hill. Perhaps that is why many didn't leave. The folks that left were people who fought in the war and even then they went to South Africa. Besides even if it wasn't tribal rule, they wouldn't be able to do things 'business as usual'. You can't have rule of law and not allow the majority of citizens to vote and deprive them of the same rights richly enjoyed by the whites and coloured people. There's a lot that can be said, but it's all pointless. Mugabe is the next Stalin? and the Chinese will take over anyway.
I was one of the lucky ones, but it took me 10 years of planning, saving and studying to get out. Others are not as fortunate, even though they want out, it's a physical impossibility.
No, I did get the point he was trying to make. I just chose to ignore the implied "they brought it on themselves" message, as it is simply not true.
I'll be in Mali in a few weeks.
Have fun.
Botswana
There's the problem; how, without interfering, can we bring that about?
Do Darfu, Sudan (Muslim/Christian); Biafra, Nigeria (Hausa, et al/Ibo); Nyarubuye/Mugonero/etc., Rwanda (/Hutu/Tutsi) sound familiar?
Google on murder torture Africa
Replacing "Africa" with "United States" or "Europe" bring up a fair amount, but words like "cannibalism" and "hacking/necklacing/bestialities" aren't quite as prevalent (sarcasm off).
I'm sure you're being sarcastic, but I'll pretend you're no and thank you.
Quick point: Darfur should be listed (Muslim/Muslim)
I'm not saying there aren't wars and genocides and torture in Africa, I'm asking you how you think that war, genocide and torture are Africans' "highest ideals".
How can you?
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