Mugabe's Wife To Move Into White Couple's Farm

The Telegraph ^ | 8-20-2002 | Peta Thornycroft

[blam]

Mugabe's wife to move into white couple's farm

By Peta Thornycroft
(Filed: 20/08/2002)

Zimbabwe's first lady, Grace Mugabe, has chosen the white-owned farm she wants and has ordered its elderly owners and residents off the land, it emerged yesterday.

Grace Mugabe

Mrs Mugabe has picked the Iron Mask Estate, 30 miles north west of Harare, which belongs to John and Eva Matthews, both in their seventies. The couple abandoned their home at the weekend.

According to residents on the farm, Mrs Mugabe and a high-powered entourage visited the property last week, said she would be moving in shortly and told them to find alternative accommodation.

The news came as police continued their hunt for white farmers refusing to move off their land after the passing of a deadline set by President Robert Mugabe's regime.

Mr Mugabe's supporters have moved on to several farms in the eastern part of the country while the owners were in police cells. Farm equipment and personal possessions were looted, although police denied any knowledge of the crimes.

More than 20 white farmers were charged yesterday for defying the government order. The administration has ordered 2,900 of the remaining 4,500 white commercial farmers to leave their land without compensation, although 2,000 have refused. More than 200 have been arrested.

In Chegutu, 60 miles south of Harare, eight farmers, including the president of the Commercial Farmers' Union, were formally charged and released on bail.

Jean Baldwin, 72, was given one month to leave her property after pleading that her husband was terminally ill and the family needed time to arrange their departure. "We have nowhere to go," she said later.

In another case, in rural Nyamandhlovu, 40 miles north of Zimbabwe's second city, Bulawayo, 13 cheerful farmers, several of them pensioners, were granted bail, but were waiting at the local farmers' club late into the afternoon to hear whether they could return home before the next court hearing next month.

Before their court hearing, the barefoot farmers, several exercising in a small enclosure outside their cells, cracked jokes.

David Olds, whose mother and older brother were murdered by Mr Mugabe's militia on their farms, stripped off his shirt and turned his face and chest to the early morning sun to warm up after a cold night on concrete.

Police in Nyamandhlovu refused to let the press or the wives of the accused attend the hearing in the local magistrate's court within the police compound. The wives were told that the police were anxious about possible hostilities from people gathered across the road.

The nationwide swoop on the white farmers, including a woman breastfeeding a one-month-old baby, has irreparably damaged Zimbabwe's commercial agriculture at a time when half the population is on the brink of starvation.

Several hundred farmers, particularly in the provinces where Mr Mugabe's ruling Zanu-PF is strong, have fled their homes and businesses, most of them for ever.

A lawyer representing farmers at the Myathi magistrate's court, also in Matabeleland, said his eight clients were granted bail and allowed to return home for a month to wind up their affairs.

This, the lawyer said on condition of anonymity, would allow them time to challenge the constitutionality of their evictions.

But in Bindura, 45 miles north of Harare, lawyers said their clients' bail conditions amounted to a conviction as, although they were released, they were given less than 24 hours to return home for the last time, pack up and go.

The country's most prominent farmer, Colin Cloete, president of the CFU, handed himself over to police and was charged and ordered to leave his farm immediately as part of his bail conditions.

[joesnuffy]

maybe she can get some arabs to sell her some slaves to hep run it for her

[dougherty]

This reminds me of the Nazis kicking the Jews out of their homes and having others move into their homes. The difference is that the Nazis dressed much better.

[peedee]

I'll see your 200 and raise you 25.

[PokeyJoe]

I think that these white farmers maybe should burn their homes, and spray some nice vegicide on their land and then put a sign out that says in English, "you want my farm? you can have it." and then walk away. I'll buy them a plane ticket.

[dvan]

Right on. You beat me to it. Good thing I scrolled down the page. Come to think of it Farrakhan and his henchmen should thank their lucky stars for "past slavery" How would they be able to draw a crowd and make a living otherwise? Darn! They might have to try to find gainful employment.

[crz]

Pass this around. Remember..they must physically be on US soil when they claim it. Cuban boat people managed it. And if they have a US citizen sponser all the better. READ IT VERY CAREFULLY!
-----axe

Political Asylum and the United States Refugee Program

Political Asylum: The United States does not grant asylum in its diplomatic premises abroad. Under U.S. law, the United States grants asylum only to aliens who are physically present in the United States. If you wish to apply for political asylum in the United Kingdom, application may be made to the Home Office, Immigration and Nationality Directorate, Lunar House, Wellesley Road, Croydon, CR9 2BY, telephone number: (020) 8686-0688.

U.S. Refugee Program: To be eligible for consideration under the U.S. Refugee program, an applicant must meet the definition of a refugee: a person outside of his/her country of nationality or outside his/her habitual residence, who is unwilling or unable to return to that country because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution based on race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion. In addition, he or she must be able to establish that he or she is not already firmly resettled in a foreign country and must fall within certain refugee processing priorities.

Refugee Processing: The U.S. Refugee admissions program is administered by the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). Applicants for admission to the United States under the program are processed at certain INS offices abroad. London is not a refugee-processing post and no processing for the U.S. Refugee program takes place in the United Kingdom.

Persons seeking admission to the United States through the U.S. Refugee admissions program may be processed at the United States diplomatic posts located in Athens, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Madrid, Manila, Mexico City, New Delhi, Rome and Vienna. Please note, however, that the United States government can not take responsibility for the movement of applicants to any of these locations, can offer no assistance to applicants seeking necessary permission or visas to effect such movement, and can offer no guarantee to another country that the applicant entering that country will be accepted for entry into the United States as a refugee.

---

axe
so in short...the best way is if they acn somehow get on USA soil and not into some US foriegn office abroad.

[StolarStorm]

Why don't they fight? Hire mercenaries, take up arms. Make it expensive for the scum bags. Enough resistence might get the UN involved.

[Ukiapah Heep]

I guess that's one way to get rid of the old battleaxe!

[Pearls Before Swine]

This bunch of horsethieves were glorified by the reparations bunch

Well, of course they were. Our reparations bunch is jealous and would ultimately like to wield the same power.

[ml/nj]

Two words come to mind.

Booby trap

ML/NJ

[hangin' chad]

so in short...the best way is if they acn (sic) somehow get on USA soil and not into some US foriegn office abroad.

so in short...are you suggesting that they float their little boats across the Atlantic or the Indian/Pacific Ocean route. Seems six for one and half-dozen for the other...hell of a trip... but once they get here the INS will certainly welcome them with open arms! In fact Hollywood will be holding benefit concerts under the banner "Save The White Farm Brothers". LOL

[hangin' chad]

Why don't they fight? Hire mercenaries, take up arms. Make it expensive for the scum bags. Enough resistence might get the UN involved.

I think they tried that back in the sixties and the whole damn world rose up in opposition and imposed sanctions against them for their "racist" ways. Where is the whole damn world now?

[Red Jones]

I read on FR that some white farmers of zimbabwe had tried to get into the US and had been rejected.

[88keys]

apologies for not keeping up...I just don't understand this issue! It seems real obvious on the surface, but didn't I read somewhere that "experts" (even here) think the white farmers should vacate?!?! That doesn't seem right to me, but are the white farmers some sort of "imperialists" or something?

Don't get it...any links to "short cut enlightenment" will be much appreciated!!!

[blam]

"Don't get it...any links to "short cut enlightenment" will be much appreciated!!!"

Clive is our Zimbabwe expert.

[hangin' chad]

I read on FR that some white farmers of zimbabwe had tried to get into the US and had been rejected.

I constantly read articles about Somalis and Ethiopians, etc. who have been granted refugee status. They've been taken in and funded by Lutheran and Catholic organizations here in the U.S. But when some Christian white Africans are truely in need of refugee assistance the Congress, the U.N. and all of the refugee organizations are strangely silent. These "Africans" must be the wrong color...otherwise they would be welcomed here with open arms and lots of assistance.

[Teacher317]

Two words come to mind: Booby trap

I'm reminded of five little words... sow the fields with salt.

[Red Jones]

I agree with you in that we should be letting them into the US. I even think we might consider military intervention to overthrow mugabe. I thought we should've intervened in rwanda and congo in last 8 years also. But it might be that these white zimbabwean farmers aren't let in while the somalis are because the white farmers are welcomed by the UK whereas maybe the others don't have any options.

[B Knotts]

I guess that's one way to get rid of the old battleaxe!

BWAHAHAHA! ROFL

I have to admit: you make a very good point!

[hangin' chad]

But it might be that these white zimbabwean farmers aren't let in while the somalis are because the white farmers are welcomed by the UK whereas maybe the others don't have any options.

Where did you read this?