Zimbabwe's farmers get no reprieve - South Africa refuses comment

Boston Globe ^ | August 13, 2002 | Kurt Shillinger

[Cincinatus' Wife]

JOHANNESBURG - Zimbabwe's president, Robert Mugabe, vowed yesterday to deal harshly with white farmers who have defied his orders to surrender their land to the government, diminishing hopes within Zimbabwe and abroad that the southern African country would opt for reconciliation and avert economic collapse.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

June 6, 2002 Mugabe dishes out goodies to cronies*** "The United Nations says this is our longest dry spell in 20 years, and yet all our dams are almost 80 percent full. Our dams are so full because the water has not been used to irrigate crops. There are no crops in the ground because government supporters stopped farmers from growing food because they wanted the land for their masters - and now 6 million people face starvation. What a sickening irony." Buckle said that last week, Zimbabwean Agriculture Minister Joseph Made said that any white farmer who did not put a crop of wheat into the ground would have his farm listed for seizure. *** [Now that much of the land has been planted, they're told to get out.]

Mugabe Engages Libyan Special Unit - Zimbabwe Independent (Harare) (October 19, 2001) By Brian Hungwe - [Full Text] A CRACK unit of Libyan intelligence officers is in the country to beef up President Robert Mugabe's security and intelligence system as the nation lurches towards the 2002 presidential election, now only five months away, the Zimbabwe Independent has learnt. Intelligence sources told the Independent this week that over 20 Libyan nationals were booked at a local hotel and could be seen driving around in government vehicles. They are understood to be re-training intelligence personnel and President Mugabe's close security unit.

As the presidential poll draws near, Mugabe is wary over his security in the event of losing the do-or-die election that pits his 38-year-old Zanu PF party against the two-year-old opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). The Libyans' role in the election has been unclear, though suspicions abound that they could play a crucial role in perpetuating the reign of Muammar Gaddafi's closest ally in the southern African region if the vote went against him.

"As far as I know, they are just involved with monitoring and improving the security of Mugabe who envies Gaddafi's intelligence network," a source said. The team will be in the country up to the time of the presidential election next year. "There are strong fears that something terrible could befall Mugabe if he loses. There is need to ensure his maximum security," the source said.

A British paper this week said "hundreds of Libyan troops", part of Gaddafi's elite forces, "known for their terror tactics, were being housed in secret locations scattered across the country". The Daily Telegraph, quoting intelligence sources, said there was a growing number of intelligence officers turning against Mugabe, forcing him to turn elsewhere for protection.

The Libyans were to be issued with Zimbabwean passports by the Registrar-General's office to help Mugabe's presidential election campaign, the paper said.

Other press reports from South Africa suggest that Pagad, a Libyan-funded vigilante group which campaigns against drug lords on the Cape Flats, would be unleashed on the white commercial farmers in a terror campaign. The development takes place at a time when the country has mortgaged itself to Libyans after it sought a US$340 million loan to purchase fuel. The Independent reported recently that the Libyans were going to acquire major stakes in the country's two financial institutions and a major hotel group in addition to receiving 8 000ha of land for industrial and farming purposes. [End]

Well, Mugabe didn't lose. Mugabe appointed four of the five Supreme Court judges and then increased the court to eight members, adding three more judges loyal to his ruling party. Gaddafi sent in his henchmen and they set up terror squads. Gaddafi loaned Mugabe millions of dollars, bought up houses in Zimbabwe and made sure he won.

Most of the farmers had accepted that they would lose much of their land and were complying with the rulings to give over major portions of their farms but Mugabe wants all the land.

The opposition party Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) makes up just over a third of the parliament assembly. Their party had been strongly predicted to win the recent election even after a year of being terrorized by squads of roaming gangs. Finally Mugabe removed poll watchers, slowed down voting and assured his "reelection." 67 rallies canceled: Zimbabwe opposition members attacked, murdered Despite international condemnation of the stolen election and calls by the opposition party for a new election, Mugabe continues to drive off all farming, giving the land, homes and farms to his family, his cronies and to Libya (to whom he is deeply in debt). He has murdered farmers as they held on to what had been promised would be left to them. Despite the fact Zimbabweans are starving to death Mugabe continues to destroy the economy and uses his court to rubber stamp any law he wants. Evil Under the Sun

When killing accompanies elections/Zimbabwe's 'elected' dictator*** Mugabe's election victory was celebrated with an "anti-American" march in which a coffin of the MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai was paraded through Zimbabwe's capital with an American flag draped over it. Sheila McVey, a white Zimbabwean farmer who observed this celebration, told WorldNetDaily, "It was frightening and disgusting. Zimbabwe has gone mad. Where are the Americans and Brits when we need them most? Where is the United Nations?"

Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF militia beat several MDC supporters to death. Darlington Vikaveka and farm manager John Rutherford were beaten to death on a farm near Mrondera. In Kwekwe, Mugabe troops killed Funny Mahuni at a torture camp in the Mbizo township. Witnesses said Mahuni's stomach was slit open with a knife. Many street vendors in Bulawayo were beaten and had their "for sale" items taken away by the Mugabe militia when they were suspected of voting for the opposition.

During the election, Mugabe's militia - bolstered by 20,000 new recruits based at 23 posts in Mugabe's tribal homeland of Mashonaland - spread out around the nation and prevented at least 500,000 registered MDC voters from turning in their ballots, about 15 percent of all registered voters. The militia set up roadblocks all across the nation and would allow only passengers with ZANU-PF membership cards access to voting stations. On one Zimbabwean farm, where a poster of Mugabe was ruined with graffiti, the militia reportedly threatened to send the black workers on the farm to one of Mugabe's "re-education camps."

Philip Chiyangawa, a ZANU-PF member of parliament was captured on videotape telling one Mugabe youth militia member to "get a hold of MDC supporters; beat them until they are dead. Burn their farms and their workers' houses, then run away and we will blame the burning of the workers' houses on the whites. Report to the police, because they are ours."***

Gaddafi's designs and control of Zimbabwe and Africa

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Bump!

[MadIvan]

Every time I read about Zimbabwe, I feel like I can't get more sick and enraged. Each time, I get proven wrong. Where the hell are we indeed. A real prime minister, like Margaret Thatcher, would have put a bullet in Mugabe's head, post haste.

Regards, Ivan

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Big BUMP!

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Big BUMP!

[Blood of Tyrants]

Some [farmers] were challenging the eviction orders in court.

This is really sad. They KNOW the court is rigged. Why even bother? I say burn the crops, house, barns, and equipment and salt the land. Screw them.

[Clive]

It looks like the North American print media is beginning to notice.

Pity that it is too late to be of any real effect.

As I have said before, the television networks will only begin to pay any real attention when they can get pictures of children dying in the dust.

[Stefan Stackhouse]

I intend to remember this when the sappy do-gooder liberals hit the airwaves with the videos of the hundreds of thousands of starving Zim children, staring listlessly into the cameras. I intend to remember that none of this starvation was necessary -- it will be 100% man-made.

[backhoe]

As I mentioned before, I will gather all the current links to the African issue in one standalone mass email. It will also be posted as a DUBOB update- because the enabler Media will surely not talk about this. They helped this pitiable thing happen.

AfricaWatch:

AfricaWatch: for AfricaWatch articles. 

Other Bump Lists at: Free Republic Bump List Register

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Bump!

[backhoe]

Check the last entry into DUBOB 9, and you'll find the links to about 8 "Out of Africa" stories, which also went to 22 editors and about 13 opinionators. They can't claim they haven't heard of these atrocities.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Thank you backhoe!

[headsonpikes]

CBC Radio is beginning to have some good interviews; the story is gaining traction now.

I'm glad New Zealand is standing up for decency in this matter, unlike the craven weasel Chretien.

[MadIvan]

I intend to remember this when the sappy do-gooder liberals hit the airwaves with the videos of the hundreds of thousands of starving Zim children, staring listlessly into the cameras. I intend to remember that none of this starvation was necessary -- it will be 100% man-made.

It is also serving the same political end that Stalin used in the 1930's to dispatch the peasantry. Starvation is an excellent weapon against political opposition.

Regards, Ivan

[backhoe]

Just FYI- a primer for all:

We have a "bump list" here
( see the link below )

of subjects and items "indexed" to various categories of interest. Over 300 of them.

Want to know more about Home Schooling, vouchers, environmental issues? We have them. Second Amendment? Right there. All you have to do is follow the links.

Virtually all articles are "sourced"-- there's a link back to the original, so you can judge for yourself the merits. You won't get that with the TV sound bites. The posters' opinions which follow are often more illuminating than the articles.

There is a wealth of information- some of it unique- on this site for those with eyes to see.

AfricaWatch:

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