Minister Mohadi believed to be involved in latest farm invasion

By Alex Bell
15 April 2010

Co-Home Affairs Minister Kembo Mohadi is believed to be involved in the invasion of a South African owned game farm in Beitbridge, in a move that critics say could threaten trade relations between the two countries.

A lodge on Benlynian Game Ranch, which lies just 46 km from the South African border, was invaded by eight men on Wednesday, who then gave the owners of the farm up until Thursday night to vacate. The ranch owner is said to have already fled the property for his own safety, but his son has been trying to persuade police to stop the invaders taking over. Police officials have instead been scouring the property trying to arrest some employees on the farm, including ranch guards and game rangers.

Commercial Farmers Union (CFU) President Deon Theron told SW Radio Africa on Thursday that Minister Mohadi, who has control of the police, is suspected to be involved in the invasion. Theron said that he couldn’t confirm these suspicions but he did express concern about the Minister’s possible involvement, saying: “If this is true, then it’s a very sad state of affairs.”

The game farm is a popular destination for conservationists, overseas tourists and South African visitors, generating valuable foreign currency for Zimbabwe. But for months the owners and their employees have been subjected to ongoing harassment. In February, the police were instructed by the National Land Inspectorate to prosecute the son of one of the owners although there was no official case against him. And then in March, a young guard on the property was arrested without warning and placed in custody. He was subsequently taken to the public prosecutor, who admitted there was no legal reason to prosecute, and he was finally released a few days later.

Theron explained that the land invasion is the first contravention of the newly ratified Bilateral Investment Protection and Promotion Agreement (BIPPA), signed by Zimbabwe and South Africa last year. The BIPPA is meant to protect South African owned investments, including land, and was lauded as key to unlocking millions of rands worth of investment from South Africa. Theron said the open defiance of this BIPPA is a critical threat to investment relations with South Africa, which is Zimbabwe’s main trading partner.

“It is also extremely unfortunate that this is taking place at a stage when South African President Jacob Zuma is engaging with our transitional government to find a peaceful way forward for the country,” said Theron, adding that the impact on the lucrative tourism sector will be significant.

“These actions are driving away potential tourists and impacting negatively on the entire SADC region, both from a tourism and investment perspective,” he said.

Theron also explained that the land is totally unsuitable for ‘resettlement’ which is usually the excuse used to justify the ongoing seizures of productive or commercial land. He said the farm is situated in Zimbabwe’s Ecological Region 6, a region classified as semi-desert, with the lowest rainfall in the country and the highest recorded evaporation.

“Due to the shallow basalt soils, rocky ridges and lack of natural surface water, the land is officially categorised as not fit for human habitation and is also unsuitable for cattle and cropping,” Theron said, adding the takeover is nothing more than theft.

“April 18 is the 30th anniversary of Zimbabwe’s independence but we have nothing to celebrate. We are now totally dependent on the international donor community for food aid, meaning we are not independent at all” Theron added.