Under-siege Zim white farmer says he's lost $1m
2015-04-02 17:10

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Cape Town – A white Zimbabwean farmer who owns the Denlynian Game Ranch with his South African children in Beitbridge claims he has lost close to $1m in revenue while fighting farm invaders.

According to Southern Eye, Ian Ferguson's safari farm was invaded in 2013 and since then, he has been trying in vain to protect the sanctuary, as political heavyweights are reportedly said to be behind the mayhem at the property.

He said he had spent nearly $1m in revenue, property and legal fees fighting the invasion.

Ferguson said invaders led by top government officials had looted property, wantonly killed game and cost the wildlife conservancy thousands in lost revenue, the report says.

Last month, Ferguson said, the "invaders" shot a giraffe. Although the matter was reported to the police, the "invaders" were not arrested.

Police, however, said they were not aware of Ferguson's allegations.

Land reforms

President Robert Mugabe made headlines last year when he vowed that whites would never be allowed to own land in Zimbabwe.

In 2010, the country's Commercial Farmers Union (CFU) reported that suspected Zanu-PF militants evicted all of Ferguson’s employees and sealed off the ranch.

Ferguson said at the time that the militants threatened to kill anyone who resisted their orders to leave the property.

The invaders appeared to have the full backing of Zanu-PF party leadership in the province.

Mugabe and his ruling party launched the land reforms in 2000, taking over white-owned farms to resettle landless blacks.

Mugabe said the reforms were meant to correct colonial land ownership imbalances.

At least 4 000 white commercial farmers were evicted from their farms.

The land seizures were often violent, claiming the lives of several white farmers during clashes with veterans of Zimbabwe's 1970s liberation struggle.

Sorry to hear that!....., this is a big discrimination by Mr Mogabe, I still remember and heard before this, Zimbabwe was the main country in Africa who produced Tobacco & Diary products then any others and currency was also too strong.

I hunted with Graeme Jones and with Dirk (camp manager) in Denlynian-BietBridge in 2013, and the gentleman running show was very professional and saw good wild life there.

This is very unfortunate and this country does not require any Enemy but they are their own...

I wish the owner of concession may recover from his loss and manage to run as before.

God bless them all.

Regards.
IH

there are no gamefarms left, let alone farms.