Farm equipment vandalised by war vets & A2 farmers after losing in court
By Tererai Karimakwenda
10 October 2006

Farmers inthe sugar growing lowveld area have reported that their farm equipment which was taken illegally by the police last year was returned damaged and not in working order. The farmers say assistant police commissioner for Masvingo Mrs Ndanga and her crew seized the equipment by force and sold most of it at auction to war veterans and resettled A2 farmers. The white farmers went to court to demand it back and won. That was in December 2005. Police were specifically ordered to return the equipment to where they had taken it from and in the condition that it was in when they stole it. But having sold much of the property they were forced to go retrieve it.

Chiredzi farmer Gerry Whitehead told us it was not until September 2006 that police retreived the equipment. Only 50% of it was returned and most of it had been vandalised. Whitehead said tyres were removed and parts like alternators and starters were missing. He believes the damage was done by war veterans and A2 farmers who had spent money at the auctions. He also told us that police gave the farmers 3 days to collect their equipment from the police station otherwise it would be sold. Whitehead said the farmers are now suing the assistant police commissioner Ndanga in her personal capacity for their loss.

Farm evictions in the area have not stopped either. Whitehead said there have been many eviction notices circulating which they discovered were fake. He explained that there have been fewer “jambanjas” this year because it is very expensive to hire thugs to go harass white farmers and force them off their land. Whitehead said it is mostly the lands officers and police officials, who already have farms, who have been pressuring white farmers to leave.