Zimbabwe’s white-dominated Commercial Farmers Union (CFU) has expressed concern at the rising incidents of violence against its members and warned of the dire impact this would have on the country’s ability to feed itself next year.
CFU president Deon Theron said the organization was deeply concerned about the increased onslaught against its members, employees and livestock, and the catastrophic impact this will have on the ability of the nation to feed itself in the 2009/2010 season.
“Many of our members and their employees have been assaulted, had their belongings seized and stolen, and been forced to watch as their homes and worker villages have been burnt to the ground,” Theron said in a statement.
More than 150 white-owned farms have been seized by gangs of people belonging to President Robert Mugabe’s party since the formation of Zimbabwe’s coalition government in February.
Theron condemned police inaction and bias against CFU members for complicating the situation facing Zimbabwe’s large-scale agriculture.
In the majority of cases there has been no response at all because the deliberately orchestrated violence has been classified as “political”.
The CFU president said farm employees are also under constant threat in that they are often targeted by the land invaders.
A significant number have been prosecuted and even imprisoned, resulting in their being unable to produce desperately needed food for a food-insecure nation heavily dependent for the last decade on food aid.
“The impact on elderly farmers and farm workers has been devastating and the Commercial Farmers’ Union is deeply concerned about their plight. None have received compensation from the government and a significant number are destitute,” Theron said.
“Animals too have not been spared. They are being stolen, slaughtered, snared, hamstrung and axed. Thousands have inhumanely been denied food and water for more than a week at a time, with many dying or eating their young in their desperate efforts to survive,” he said.
Theron said the CFU had written to various ministries seeking dialogue to stabilize the situation and protect livestock, but had not received replies.
Source African Press Agency
