ACCOUNT OF ATEMPTED EVICTION OFF WAKEFIELD FARM, SELOUS

FRIDAY 27TH NOVEMBER 2009

12.30PM: Felix Pambukani and about 15 to 20 other men arrived at my house gate demanding to know from me why I was still on the farm and why was I planting tobacco and what was I doing? 2 Ministry of Lands men from Chegutu - one of them being a Mr. Tony Makoshoni - ID number:
70-010006 G 38 and a Mr Chikadayi was also amongst these men and Kunonga was waiting at the Selous Police station.. DESPITE being told by myself and shown a letter from the Governor and Provisional Lands office
- clearly stating that I have been given permission to carry on farming for the 2009/2010 season they still demanded that I stop all farming at once. They then left and proceeded to the house that they have already evicted my manager from.

SATURDAY 28TH NOVEMBER 2009

2.15PM: I was called out by my guards to the house gate where I was met by a man stating his name as Cde Jesus and a good 20 or more men claiming to be "ex-combatants", all clearly drunk. This Cde Jesus
- claims to have been sent by the President with orders to have me evicted! He told me to get out the house and off the farm within 30 minutes and that we were to take only personal belongings, as everything else belongs to themhe stated that he and his men would forcibly remove us and would "help" us pack if we did not comply. My 10 year old daughter at this stage was getting overwrought and visibly upset at what was happening. My wife and I decided that in their best interests we would send our 10 year old and 2 year old daughters and a friend that was staying with them off the farm for their safety. My eldest daughter's last tearful words to my wife were "Will I see you again Mommy??" My driver managed to get them off the farm to friends for safety.

I decided to carry on as normal - having phoned the police for assistance and being told to wait as they had no police vehicle with which to react.the "thugs" had returned to Mr Pambukani's place of residence - my manager's house and proceeded to drink and carry on loudly. Quite a few vehicles arrived during the afternoon - adding up to about 15 vehicles in all.

In the meantime I was giving out rations to my labour as normal ..
my labour sensing that trouble was brewing, decided to stay in the workshop area and near my house.

Mr Pambukani had also chased my guards away from my gates and placed his own locks on the gates.

The "thugs" were overheard talking and saying that "someone would die if we did not vacate the farm". They were milling around the workshop and keeping a presence known.

8.00pm: - the police eventually arrived. The police talked to Mr Pambukani and the men that were there and told them not to incite violence of any nature and that they had no right in trying to evict us from our house. The police also had words with me - asking why had I "mobilized" my labour-force? After a lengthy talk - the police left at 10pm.

At midnight I was awakened by my guards as other vehicles had arrived and this time with armed men. I was informed that these new arrivals were guards and that they had been brought in to guard the workshop area as this area belongs to Mr Pambukani and that we had in fact been the ones inciting violence and that I had mobilized my labour force against them.

SUNDAY 29th NOVEMBER 2009

10am: As I write this they are still here but not doing anything. I just do not know why they are spending all their monies playing all these games instead of using it on production on the land they have being given.

MONDAY 30TH NOVEMBER 2009

I just do not know what today is going to bring.