News / Local
WATCH: Farmer 'David Connolly' vows to fight Mugabe ally to the end
03 Feb 2017 at 14:31hrs | Views
BULAWAYO - David Connolly was born in Bulawayo - in the then Southern Rhodesia in 1960 - and was educated at Milton - one of the first government schools set up by the British South Africa Company around 1910.
"I literally grew up in the bush amongst Kalanga boys in a farm in Figtree (Bulilima) - which belonged to my late father Joseph Conolly," David recalls as he narrates how he was forcibly evicted from Centenary farm about 70km from Plumtree town, in Matabeleland South.
Like many other white commercial farmers who are victims of President Robert Mugabe's controversial land reform programme, David is now stranded - and still hopes that justice will one day prevail after he was kicked out of a farm which had been his family home for close to half a century.
David says he was shocked one fine afternoon when he saw a group of approximately 100 men wielding sticks and logs approaching his farm.
"They told us that they were new occupants of the area," David said in a recent interview with The Citizen Bulletin.
"At first my farm workers wanted to revolt and stop them but I told them to relax as I was going to deal with the matter myself in a civilised manner."
It was later known that the surprise visitors were militant youths allegedly deployed by Deputy Secretary in the Office of the President and Cabinet, Ray Ndhlukula - who was to be the new occupant of the farm which had since been acquired by the State under General Notice 37 of 2003.
Invaders at Conolly farm
Today David resides at his Bulawayo home and has left the farm life - perhaps for good - and hopes that the little savings he has will be enough for him and his family as they wait for justice - which may take longer to come in Zimbabwe's courts marred with State interference.
Although David has no hope for compensation, he says the soft landing for him and other countless evicted elderly white farmers struggling to survive in crisis-laden Zimbabwe will be compensation which should be preceded by a fair resolution before the Court.
"I might not get the sum total of what I have lost so far but if the matter is settled by the Courts I can then be ready to sit on the table and negotiate with those who have stolen from me (in reference to Ndhlukula)," Connolly said with a teary face.
Mugabe's aide Ray Ndhlukula
In early 2016, Mugabe's government promised to compensate all farmers who lost their farms during the land reform programme, in which an estimated 5 000 white farmers were violently disposed their properties.
But new black land owners - who are partly expected to raise money for compensation particularly for renovations made by previous owners are failing to raise a cent towards the reparations.
Although the controversial land grab has contributed largely to Zimbabwe's failing economy through Western-imposed sanctions and the dearth of the country's crucial commercial farming sector which was previously championed by White commercial farmers, Mugabe's regime is adamant to resolve the matter once and for all.
This is despite the fact that Zimbabwe's 2013 Constitution, has a provision speaking to the compensation of white farmers who were evicted, particularly for the improvements they had made on their farms.
"It's not all about compensation but the rule of law," David says.
"All the thieves including Ndhlukula must be held accountable. We will take a civilised route - that is the courts although we know that justice may take longer to come we will have to expose this rot and this might be part of the solution to the problem as a national crisis," added David who claims he has lost millions of dollars ever since he was evicted from the farm.
WATCH: David Conolly Says Evicted Farmers Must Be Compensated
According to David, he is still the rightful owner of the farm. This, in his own rendering, implies that Ndhlukula who is in possession of an offer letter from the lands office - which reportedly dishes out land only to Mugabe loyalists, will have to compensate him an amount equivalent to what he would have earned from his farm if he was using it.
"I calculate what I should be making each day because according to me, Ndhlukula is occupying the farm illegal," David argues.
"If I was using the farm I would be making approximately US$1300 per day and this amounts to close to US$1 million ever since I was evicted from the farm."
At its peak, Centenary farm employed slightly above 100 villagers around Figtree and benefitted at least 600 families from the surrounding settlements. These families, according to David have since lost their livelihoods because of the eviction and are now struggling to make ends meet.
David at his farm which produced more than 1million cabbages annually
Under the Conollys, the farm was a leading supplier of green vegetables, beef and milk around Bulawayo and Plumtree.
In 2001, Mugabe introduced laws which his government claimed were aimed at distributing land equitably between black subsistence farmers and white Zimbabweans of European ancestry who, according to Mugabe, had been benefitted most of the best agricultural land in Zimbabwe.
But new black land owners have failed too match the standards of white commercial farmers - and at worst have either under-utilised or totally abandoned once vibrant farms acquired from white commercial farmers. This has left the country's agri-based economy on its knees.
Just like many other cases pitting white commercial farmers and pro-Mugabe black owners, the Connolly matter is still pending in the Courts - and might only find closure if the country lays down a clear blueprint for dealing with the thorny land reform programme.
Although his wife was poisoned a few years back and almost lost her life David is happy that unlike many of his colleagues who lost their lives during violent land seizures at the hands of war veterans and Zanu PF militia, he did not lose any limb during his fateful eviction from a farm which he had occupied since independence.
"Were it not for the late Chief Khayisa Ndiweni who encouraged me to stay put, I would have left a long time ago," David who is now at his prime age says, with no sign of optimism on his face.
"I literally grew up in the bush amongst Kalanga boys in a farm in Figtree (Bulilima) - which belonged to my late father Joseph Conolly," David recalls as he narrates how he was forcibly evicted from Centenary farm about 70km from Plumtree town, in Matabeleland South.
Like many other white commercial farmers who are victims of President Robert Mugabe's controversial land reform programme, David is now stranded - and still hopes that justice will one day prevail after he was kicked out of a farm which had been his family home for close to half a century.
David says he was shocked one fine afternoon when he saw a group of approximately 100 men wielding sticks and logs approaching his farm.
"They told us that they were new occupants of the area," David said in a recent interview with The Citizen Bulletin.
"At first my farm workers wanted to revolt and stop them but I told them to relax as I was going to deal with the matter myself in a civilised manner."
It was later known that the surprise visitors were militant youths allegedly deployed by Deputy Secretary in the Office of the President and Cabinet, Ray Ndhlukula - who was to be the new occupant of the farm which had since been acquired by the State under General Notice 37 of 2003.
Invaders at Conolly farm
Today David resides at his Bulawayo home and has left the farm life - perhaps for good - and hopes that the little savings he has will be enough for him and his family as they wait for justice - which may take longer to come in Zimbabwe's courts marred with State interference.
Although David has no hope for compensation, he says the soft landing for him and other countless evicted elderly white farmers struggling to survive in crisis-laden Zimbabwe will be compensation which should be preceded by a fair resolution before the Court.
"I might not get the sum total of what I have lost so far but if the matter is settled by the Courts I can then be ready to sit on the table and negotiate with those who have stolen from me (in reference to Ndhlukula)," Connolly said with a teary face.
Mugabe's aide Ray Ndhlukula
In early 2016, Mugabe's government promised to compensate all farmers who lost their farms during the land reform programme, in which an estimated 5 000 white farmers were violently disposed their properties.
But new black land owners - who are partly expected to raise money for compensation particularly for renovations made by previous owners are failing to raise a cent towards the reparations.
Although the controversial land grab has contributed largely to Zimbabwe's failing economy through Western-imposed sanctions and the dearth of the country's crucial commercial farming sector which was previously championed by White commercial farmers, Mugabe's regime is adamant to resolve the matter once and for all.
"It's not all about compensation but the rule of law," David says.
"All the thieves including Ndhlukula must be held accountable. We will take a civilised route - that is the courts although we know that justice may take longer to come we will have to expose this rot and this might be part of the solution to the problem as a national crisis," added David who claims he has lost millions of dollars ever since he was evicted from the farm.
WATCH: David Conolly Says Evicted Farmers Must Be Compensated
According to David, he is still the rightful owner of the farm. This, in his own rendering, implies that Ndhlukula who is in possession of an offer letter from the lands office - which reportedly dishes out land only to Mugabe loyalists, will have to compensate him an amount equivalent to what he would have earned from his farm if he was using it.
"I calculate what I should be making each day because according to me, Ndhlukula is occupying the farm illegal," David argues.
"If I was using the farm I would be making approximately US$1300 per day and this amounts to close to US$1 million ever since I was evicted from the farm."
At its peak, Centenary farm employed slightly above 100 villagers around Figtree and benefitted at least 600 families from the surrounding settlements. These families, according to David have since lost their livelihoods because of the eviction and are now struggling to make ends meet.
David at his farm which produced more than 1million cabbages annually
Under the Conollys, the farm was a leading supplier of green vegetables, beef and milk around Bulawayo and Plumtree.
In 2001, Mugabe introduced laws which his government claimed were aimed at distributing land equitably between black subsistence farmers and white Zimbabweans of European ancestry who, according to Mugabe, had been benefitted most of the best agricultural land in Zimbabwe.
But new black land owners have failed too match the standards of white commercial farmers - and at worst have either under-utilised or totally abandoned once vibrant farms acquired from white commercial farmers. This has left the country's agri-based economy on its knees.
Just like many other cases pitting white commercial farmers and pro-Mugabe black owners, the Connolly matter is still pending in the Courts - and might only find closure if the country lays down a clear blueprint for dealing with the thorny land reform programme.
Although his wife was poisoned a few years back and almost lost her life David is happy that unlike many of his colleagues who lost their lives during violent land seizures at the hands of war veterans and Zanu PF militia, he did not lose any limb during his fateful eviction from a farm which he had occupied since independence.
"Were it not for the late Chief Khayisa Ndiweni who encouraged me to stay put, I would have left a long time ago," David who is now at his prime age says, with no sign of optimism on his face.
Source - www.thecitizenbulletin.com
