Get It Right, Farm Invasions Take a Nasty Turn, Moving from Assaults and Mayhem to Murder.

Still no rain in sight, just hot, hazy evenings

When I write this blog, I do so as a personal account of what I saw and did myself, it also includes my understanding of what happened to others at the time and equally what others did at any given time. Therefore, when it comes to events involving third parties, my understanding is based on the knowledge I have gathered and, in some instances, my interpretation of these events. I have no wish to mislead you, so please, if a correction or even another view is held, please drop me a line or comment. I will even include it in the blog if you wish, providing it is not too derogatory against someone; against me, you can say what you like. 

Many do contact me, but few have challenged the verification of facts to date, despite my knowledge that it is not how some perceive it. Even verification of the facts or an opposing view makes it worthwhile.

“We live in this crazy world where someone else’s contrary view is considered a crime not an opinion. Without differing opinions society has no checks and balances.” - Peter McSporran

I am, therefore, more than happy to be corrected; in fact, getting the facts regarding specific events from those ‘on the ground at the time’ is so very helpful. The most significant casualty in my memories are timelines. I apologise as my dates of events may from time to time be convoluted. It is important to me in ascertaining the sequence of timelines, so I often resort to old contacts for advice. Funnily enough, it seems the timings of events in the early 2000’s are a haze in most of the people affected by them. Have we subconsciously blocked some of these memories out? I know many who have no wish to discuss them. I think I mentioned that last week. It is said that AI can provide clarity on some events, but when it comes to events prior to and during the farm invasions, this inaccurate help only adds to my confusion.

“In trying to get your personal event dates correct, it is like being a weaver building them around the facts important enough to be time recorded.” - Peter McSporran

Some were not there but liked to claim they were. Why do people like to cling to other people’s ‘war stories’, I wonder. I know shortly after the Rhodesian war, you could find many ‘barfly’ soldiers who claimed to have fought in our war in South Africa despite never being in the Rhodesian Bush War. Moonlighters, farm guards, became Fireforce stick leaders, convoy escorts became armoured car commanders, and so it goes on. Half of them would claim to have been a Selous Scout despite not knowing what a baboon tastes like. You know, the list is endless. 

I have even found one of these self-proclaimed heroes here in a village close to ours in Portugal. One evening at a quiz night in a local pub, when asked where I came from, in saying Zimbabwe I was told there was an ex-Zimbabwean serviceman present who had fought in the Rhodesian War. I didn't meet him that night; my presence wasn't an attraction to him, it seems despite being pointed out to him. A few weeks later, we ran into each other at a private social gathering, he was slightly worse for wear. I naturally asked him what unit he was in during the Rhodesian army, due to what he had told others, we may have had something in common. He informed me it was a ‘hush hush’ unit and could not give details, although he did say it was in Bindura and mentioned a date which coincided with one of my call-ups when based there—no special forces for me, just a soldier on call-up. I neither liked baboons nor the idea of getting ultra-fit. But I knew many who were stationed there at the time. When I dropped a few names of those whom I knew were stationed there at the time, I immediately drew a blank from him, as did his memory of any events. I further learnt that he had written a book on the discrimination he had found in the Rhodesian Army and his role. He claimed he had African ancestry. I can tell you he looks whiter than I. I decided to try to read his book, which I found on the internet. What a load of poppycock with made-up events portraying him as a hero. I wonder if he had even visited Rhodesia during the war, let alone fought in it.

When I reread last week’s blog, I found an omission. I showed a picture of young Tom Bayley. Tom Jnr, being escorted from his farm by ‘war vets’. Although it happened later, his father, Tom Snr, death was attributed to the ‘war vets’ when, after falling and breaking his leg when the invaders surrounded his house, he found himself locked in for some thirty-five days with no relief from the police or any other government agency. His neighbours were unable to intervene. He eventually succumbed to a heart attack, no doubt due to the pain and fear of being unable to get out of the house for the treatment of his broken leg. Tom Snr was a cockney-come farmer, and a very good farmer, whose face was well known at the cattle sales in Mount Hamden. He was eighty years old.

Further, following last week's blog, where I said it was the end of independence of the judiciary when the farms were invaded, Nick Howman corrected me. He informed me that in the 1980s, as a young lawyer in Mutare, he was taken to task by Kangai, a ZANU(PF) Minister, for requesting the legal eviction of a ZANU(PF) cadre from the opposition's stronghold. Of interest at that time, Bishop Muzowera was still considered a political threat, and it was in his home area, the Mutare Mission. So, Nick is correct, and the judiciary had been eroded much earlier than 2000, in fact since day one of Independence. Perhaps I should have said that all semblance of judicial independence was finally lost in 2000 with the invasions. He went on to become a farmer in the Marondera area and recalls a meeting of his local Farmers Association in those early days of the farm invasions, where scepticism was voiced that we would all lose our farms. Yes, it was hard to accept. Graham Hatty, chairman of the Norton Farmers Association, summed it up best at a later date, following the murder of Terry Ford, who farmed down the road from us, when he said, “I suppose you always think it won't happen to you.”  In my mind, it is the only reason we stayed on the farms so long, despite its illogicality.

So, now I am back writing about the farm invasions, I will continue where I left off last week. By February 2000, when the farm invasions commenced, there was also a massive upsurge in political violence. Mugabe had just been defeated in the referendum meant to ensure his presidency for life and make the confiscation of the white farms without compensation legal. This rejection by the people was a shock both to him and his party, and importantly to the country as a whole. The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC’s) slogan, ‘Change’, had become a possibility. The open hand sign could be seen throughout the country, as was the call for ‘Change,’ heard, much to the anger of ZANU(PF). They started to recruit for the Youth Brigade known as the ‘Green Bombers’ in earnest, using brutal methods of indoctrination in so-called re-education camps to ensure both their loyalty and their ability to inflict violence on anyone thought to oppose the Government. So the beatings, rapes and murders now escalated countrywide, from the farms into the townships and rural towns, as the country moved towards the elections to be held in June of that year. ‘White Farmers’, many of whom were happy to openly support the MDC, became prime targets, as did their workers. I suppose it was inevitable that Tim Henwood, the President of the Commercial Farmers Union (CFU), worst fear would occur and occur it did. On the 15th of April, David Stevens and five other farmers were abducted from their farms in the Macheke farming area. All were severely beaten, but one, David Stevens, was taken to the local so-called  ‘Heroes Acre’ and shot, whereupon his murderers, it is recorded, mixed his blood with alcohol and drank it. The local farmers immediately evacuated after that, and at last, Mugabe met with Tim Henwood and Richard Tate, president of the Zimbabwe Tobacco Association (ZTA). To no avail, despite Mugabe’s platitudes and assurances that the violence was about to end and peace would return to the farms. He also said the perpetrators of David Stevens’ murder would be brought to trial. All lies, although there was a bit of window dressing for some reason two years later, where the case was dismissed due to lack of evidence. In the news briefing following the meeting, you can see the shock and frustration on Tim’s face. You can also clearly see Mugabe as he was, an evil psychopath. Just before the news conference Tim recalls this;

Tim Henwood

I was the first to be publicly considered an adversary by Mugabe. I will never forget that day. He put his hand on my shoulder and said," I have looked after you for 20 years and now you have gone against me " - Tim Henwood, President of the Commercial Farmers Union in 2000

Only a madman who openly said he wanted to be rid of all white farmers and to that end had designated by that time some fifteen hundred farms for confiscation and had just failed in a referendum to enable him to take the farms without compensation, then unleashed the ‘war vets’ to violently take the farms still expected us, the victims of his evil madness to support him. This is the link to the video of the briefing.

Martin Old a man decorated for bravery by the man who had him killed

Three days later, Martin Olds, a very tough, forthright man, was also murdered on his farm in Nyamandhlovu. Despite his extraordinary courage and resilience in fighting off his attackers for many hours. Eventually, after setting fire to his house and running out of ammunition, the badly wounded Martin crawled out of his home only to be beaten and finally shot to death on his verandah by the state-sponsored thugs. This murder was well planned by the state with about sixty armed militia and ‘war vets’ involved, helped by the police who put up armed road blocks to stop Martin’s neighbours coming to his assistance. It was said he managed to kill as many as eighteen of his attackers. Rumour or truth, whatever it is, the fact is that he did indeed kill and wound many. The writing was now clearly on the wall; they did not want us, and yet we stayed on our farms. 

Martin's body lying on his verandah after his heroic battle

Although it was to happen a year later, Martin’s seventy-four-year-old mother, Gloria Olds, was murdered by a hail of bullets as she opened her farm gate early one morning.

Disclaimer: Copyright Peter McSporran. The content in this blog represents my personal views and does not reflect corporate entities.