Farmers Murdered in Tanzania and Zimbabwe

 

Colin Zietsman

Murdered in Mvurwi

Zimbabwe White Farmer Murdered
Harare, September 02, 2011 -

Zimbabwe white farmer, Colin Zietsman has been murdered in Mvurwi while his wife Tinks was badly beaten by unknown assailants, a former president of the Zimbabwe
Commercial Farmers Union said Friday.

"He (Zietmann) was murdered this morning, his wife was badly beaten and as we speak at the moment she is on her way to hospital," Deon Theron, the former
CFU president said on Friday. "He must have been definately murdered because her wife was badly beaten," he added.

Zietmann murder comes almost a year after a Chegutu farmer, Kobus Joubert was murdered by robbers at his farm in the small farming town. The robbers took got away with $10 000 in cash, two pistols and other valuables.

Most Zimbabwe white commercial farmers who used to number more than 4 500 were kicked out from their farms by President Robert Mugabe government and Zanu PF party early 2000 to resettle landless blacks.

A number of the white farmers who were resisting being moved from their properties were murdered in cold blood. The Commercial Farmers union has been saying their members have been receiving threats from some top Zanu PF officials.

The controversial land reforms by Mugabe and his Zanu PF officials has been criticised as most of the beneficiaries are failing to utilise the land that they grabbed from the white farmers. The country used to be a net exporter of food but now it imports most of its food requirements that include maize, wheat
and cooking oil.

________________________________________________________

Tanzanians hack farmer in Manyara to death in
land row

Tanzanians hack farmer in Manyara to death in land row Tanzanian police are investigating the hacking to death of a farm manager.

The northern Manyara region police commander, Parmena Sumari, told the BBC his officers were searching for the killers of Sifael Jackson.

Tanzanian journalist Benny Mwaipaja told the BBC a gang allegedly ambushed Mr
Jackson's car and killed him with spears, machetes and clubs.

The murder comes amid strong opposition to the government's promotion of big-scale farming Invasions "Mr Jackson was brutally killed and decapitated by a gang of about 15 people on Tuesday evening," Mr Mwaipaja told the BBC.
Some residents in the region accuse the government of threatening their livelihood by allocating land to big commercial farmers, including foreigners, he says. But the government says its policy is aimed at boosting food production and ensuring that land is not under-utilised.

At least four farms have been invaded this year near Babati town in Manyara region, with fields torched and property destroyed. Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda sent a high-level delegation of cabinet ministers to the region in February to investigate the conflict.

The delegation warned local communities that they would face arrest and prosecution if they failed to stop the attacks. Mr Mwaipaja said the government was concerned that the violence would scare away foreign investors who it believed were helping Tanzania's "Green Revolution".

The government's campaign to promote large-scale commercial farming is a dramatic reversal of the socialist policies it advocated after independence.