Zimbabwe: the land story -a comedy that is also a horror.

when the land grab started I was working in the bulawayo matebeleland South areas and living in the middle of farmland. Among my neighbour farmers was the then Vice President the late John. I remember a lot of things that went on hence the topic.

I was never interested in the farmland and I appreciate that I have toyed with farming but I was never going to grab someone’s farm on the pure basis that they are white and I am black. Don’t even try to engage me on that , in my small mind it is called racism. I suffered it as a child and I suffer it now and there is no way I am going to be as evil as evil. Do not let evil overcome you but overcome evil with good.

So here I was one day driving from gweru to my rural place. And suddenly there were shacks all over the dry barren land to the left of the road just past lochard store. This was laughable to great proportions, and I thought ,have people gone nuts? But no, it was no laughing matter. The thing spread all over and soon all farms were under the control of the lawless people ranging from the common thief who could Nick a domestic rubbish (humbamarara) to oJeki and that kind who can mate with a donkey and all. The porchers were there too and for a time highways were flea markets of game meat. I challenge anyone to show me even a buck in that community now.

Then a few weeks on some land grabbing war vet turned porcher was arrested for cattle rustling. His colleague closed the bulawayo harare road and for hours and hours we were stuck in a queue caused by a disgruntled porcher. And the police stood powerless and that is when I realised that the country was not smouldering but burning and set to for long.

But I was fearless and continued to work where I worked doing what I did and relating with the same people I related with. I saw the takeover of the fountains fresh. The farm belonged to a JR. GODDARD popularly known as phezulu. This place was a producer of the best oranges ever, it had a butchery and sold eggs and chickens of unprecedented standard. When I was last in that part of woods the place was said to be owned by one sithembiso nyoni. So in an effort to decongest rural Zimbabwe, the best way was to remove jr phezulu and replace him with s nyoni pansi.sorted!

Hate has no logic you know. And greed too. I hate all that is currently happening because it will get worse and if I live another 30 years I will surely witness the saddest part of any country’s history. The current ruling party has created a mammoth problem for tomorrow’s generation. They have given all the land to mostly activists who pretend or are genuine zanupf members or are linked there to.

Yet the wise shona say ushe madzoro, chieftainship is in turns. The ndebeles have a similar saying but I will choose kusinwa kudedelwana, you dance giving others a chance. So one day something will cease to be. Somebody will cease to be and somebody will ask why I should have no farm when you have. One day I will ask why I should buy the land from you when you got it for a political membership. One day I will ask where mine is.

Already I don’t like what i see. For example Maleme farm in Kezi is being taken from a white man and given to a cio operative of zanupf inclination. How is that decongest ing the congested rural areas. That farm borders a rural communal area of people who could do with more grazing land yet they have to lose both the livelihood of their union with the White guy and harmony only to lose yet again land of their ancestors to a zanupf operative from mashonaland somewhere,someone they closely associate with a genocide that has remained unattended for many many years.

And finally, a young white expatriate/immigrant came to work in Zimbabwe from Europe somewhere. He married a local white girl and they looked for farmland to buy. They found some undeveloped plot, got the not interested thing and bought it. They built a pole and grass hut, used to ask for water from us and really struggled. I am sure their budget was very small.

They were ok only in their 4 th year of farming. Ok in the sense that they had a decent house and were starting to be something when jambanja struck. They lost that.

How on earth is that fair? Only one drunk on greed, hatred, beer and drugs can find that fulfilling.