Zimbabwe: Where are our evicted farmers today?

Dassiesfontein: Overcoming illiteracy one farm worker at a time

Where are our evicted farmers today?

by Benine Ackermann

The story of Deon Theron

It’s been twenty years since Zimbabwe farmers have been thrown off of their farms, and still many of them have received no compensation. Sweat, tears, fending off attacks, being robbed, fleeing, fear, building something up and then just losing it over and over again. These are the circumstances under which farmers lived in Zimbabwe … and eventually they lost their farms in the year 2000. Most of them went to live in other countries and struggled to stay alive. There are still court cases going on for these farmers. AfriForum, a South African non-governmental organisation with the aim of protecting the rights of minorities, is fighting for these farmers to get compensation. A few farmers received 30% of the value of their farms, but most of them received no compensation at all. Deon Theron was born in Harare, Zimbabwe, farmed there and still lives there. He was President of the Commercial Farmers Union of Zimbabwe, Chairman of National Association of Dairy Farmers (NADF) and President of the Business Council of Zimbabwe. He was one of the unlucky ones to be evicted from all three his farms. He says he has the biggest respect for AfriForum for trying to help him and the other farmers.

my cattle to Zanka Farm. It put a lot of pressure on me because there were too many cattle for the available pasture. I had to buy a lot of feed,” he added. He left the Eden Farm for his safety. “We left our fully furnished four-bedroom home, farming equipment, fertiliser and chemicals there. I only had my cattle and firearms left.” Deon recalls one case where he feared for his life. “One day a bakkie full of people stopped in front of my house. They tried to assault me with an axe. I managed to flee with my bakkie, but they came after me. My neighbours helped me to safety. The police did nothing. “After that I hired ten bodyguards for my safety. The war veterans, named war vets (Zimbabwe’s former ‘liberation fighters’) came and attacked my bodyguards.” In 2004 Deon was evicted from Lushof Farm. He did not live on Lushof Farm himself, but had people who looked after the place. But the war vets eventually also took over there. “It did not help to phone the police; they wanted to arrest me for still being on the farm. The war vets intimidated my farm workers and stole my livestock. Then I decided to move my cattle and sheep to Zanka Farm,” says Deon. And in 2008 he was evicted from his last farm, Zanka. “One day a person, Elias Musakwa from the Reserve Bank, showed up at my farm and asked me when I intended on leaving my farm, because the government gave my farm to him. I told him I would not move from my farm. After that, he intimidated us in various ways, like putting up a tent on my lawn two metres from my daughter’s bedroom window,” Deon says. “I received a summons ordering me to go to court because I refused to leave my farm, and stating that I was illegally staying on my own farm. After a court battle of six weeks I was found guilty and sentenced six months’ jail time, suspended for five years provided we move from my farm within 30 days.” He finally moved from his last farm after 30 years of farming.

In 2008 he temporarily moved onto Friedenthal Farm, Beatrice, and in 2010 he was also evicted from Friedenthal Farm. Deon now runs a B & B with his wife. “In spite of all the things I went through I am not bitter, but thankful that my family is alive.”

Deon, like many other farmers, is still involved in court cases with the support of Afriforum to see whether they can get some compensation.

Deon has not yet received any payment for his farms. He is still fighting for his rights on receiving compensation. “I had to use eight different lawyers and they refused that I call witnesses in court.”

More about Deon’s story: Deon said when people realised in 1979 that Mugabe would be President, most of them fled out of Zimbabwe. “I decided to stay in my country of birth. I never regretted my decision because my whole family, my children and grandchildren were in Zimbabwe,” Deon said. He bought Durham Farm in Gweru, Zimbabwe (dairy and crop farming) in 1981. At the time there was no thought of the fact that he could lose his farm. Then he sold Durham Farm and bought Zanka Farm in Beatrice (dairy farming and crocodiles). Afterwards, he bought his second farm, Lushof, in Featherstone to keep 300 Brahman cattle and 450 Dorper sheep. In 1998 he bought his third farm, Eden in Beatrice, to grow maize and grazing for young dairy stock. In 2000, the “land reform” started. He was evicted from his Eden Farm. “When I lost Eden Farm, I realised there were big problems and that I could lose my other farms as well. I moved

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