Rhodesian Crisis
Dear All
Zimbabwe is in BIG trouble, especially affected are the white commercial farmers. I don't think you know the half of it! White commercial farmers are systematically having their farms invaded and seized by war veterans in their hundreds. (NOTE what is interesting the TV pictures show teenagers or early 20's criminals who were hardly born 20 years ago when the sell out of Rhodesia took place) They are holding the farmers and their families hostage in their houses. Below is a first hand account from a farmer's wife who managed to get the email out. Her name has been removed for fear of reprisals. Latest reports are that they are cutting their phone lines and shutting off water supplies.
Mugabe is doing nothing about it. The Commissioner of Police says it is a political a problem and cannot do anything. This is bull****. When a mass of maurauding lunatics invade your farm and smash your property that is a CRIMINAL OFFENCE, let alone the trespassing aspect of it. There is total anarchy out there.,. A farm is a business is it not? If they are allowed to forcefully take someone's farm away, why not your business, factory or your home for that matter. Mugabe is quite willing to totally destroy this country just to hold on to his Marxist power .
Mugabe was defeated in a Referendum which is encouraging for the country despite the fact that the referendum seemed clearly rigged in his favour. He now faces a General Election and if he is successful, woe betide Zimbabwe especially the white community. (NOTE who now hold no weapons of defence) He seems however to have no compassion for his own race. One report says he is flying around in his famous helicopter (NOTE - no doubt with a white pilot) surveying the devastation of Cyclone Elaine (which hit Zimbabwe in the South and of course Mozambique) about 200,000 people in that part of Zimbabwe have been displaced. Behind him is another helicopter full of media vultures. Reports allege that the chopper was seen filling up with watermelons before flying back to Harare! What of any assistance - let alone the thousands that are dying from the floods in Mozambique? The white South African helicopter crews cannot keep up with the scale of the tragedy and today we saw pictures of a black giving birth to a baby in a tree where she had been for 5 days!!
No Mugabe must fly around in a helicopter on a PR exercise whilst those not affected by the cyclone sit in line for gasoline. (Sometimes as long as 9 hours)
Mugabe has access to 70 million Zim Dollars and as you well know it is money these days which wins elections. We therefore appeal to every one of you who either lives or lived in Zimbabwe or had sympathy for Rhodesia, or has friends, or relatives, investments or financial interests in Zimbabwe or who has some corporate or political clout externally to please help either financially or by putting pressure on the right people or groups.
We need to have financial help - we need to have an internationally recognised monitoring body to oversee the ballot boxes - because believe me, it's going to be rigged properly this time. But if the NO vote in the Referendum win the day, there is hope IT CAN BE DONE. (Obviously ex-Prime Minister Ian Smith thought so when he decided to start a new political party, and many of the black Zimbabweans asked him to do this).
LETTER FROM A FARMER'S WIFE
All is not rosy on our front right now and we have had a lousy two days of listening to friends of ours being held hostage in their houses by "war vets"
Law and order has disappeared and the" war vets" have now been allowed to do what they want. They have come out in their l00's to intimidate farmers all over the country and are creating damage to farms and houses as they cut down trees and start pegging the land. They have taken law and order into their own hands and are demonstrating against the No vote. Work has stopped on two nearby farms and as of 4pm this afternoon they had moved to another farm and we have been told that there will be more. It got quite ugly today and all the Neighbourhood Watch guys were on standby to move in. One family had their kids with them from school for half-term fortunately the wife and children managed to get out this afternoon. Yesterday the demonstrators stayed outside the fences but today they got in, demanding food etc. and started demolishing gardens and furniture on verandahs while the poor families were inside the house. Lots of chimurenga war songs and drums. You can imagine it is very traumatic for the families concerned. Their spokesmen have in the course of the 2 days issued ridiculous ultimatums such as that the farmers should leave in a matter of hours. The farmers have up to now managed to negotiate and are still on their farms. The police have been very reluctant to help although they did help today in moving the children. The Commissioner of Police made a statement saying that he was unable to help as it is a political situation. If the police cannot help us who can?
The so called "war vets" agreed that farmers could go and help with the curing on one farm so our husbands have formed a roster and are doing 12 hour barn duties. There is no labour so our husbands are having to shovel local, stoke fires etc. A couple of the men on duty this morning had to flee quickly from the barns as demonstrators came for them with axes etc, telling them to get the hell out. It is all very worrying. These two particular families have been to hell and back. One minute these demonstrators agree to letting the farmers finish the season and everything quietens down and then it all flares up again with over 300 storming the homesteads. It is a dreadful situation to be in and we don't know who will be next.
It is a bad time of the year not to be functional, normally farmers are tearing their hair out at this time to reap and cure the tobacco that is ripening all at once. Our Farmers Assoc. is trying to get a Court Order but whether this would be obeyed, we will have to wait and see.
Signed a Farmer's wife. *(Name omitted for reasons of safety).
Please get this distributed as widely as possible and lobby your Senators, Members of Parliament etc etc. These farmers were the ones who bore the main brunt of the terrorist war in Rhodesia and these same terrorists who have in 20 years ruined the country are at it again. What news from Britain and America who sold Rhodesia down the river. What word from Britain who says zims is part of the Commonwealth?
This item was sent to us with a plea that we publish it. In the spirit of good will to all our brethern in the former Rhodesia we have agreed.
