"YESTERDAY I WENT to our sawmills in
Chimanimani and arrived there just in time to be included in the
Chimanimani chapter of the war veterans' political re-education
programme. These so-called war vets, some of whom were under 20, had
just marched into our largest sawmill and demanded that it be closed so
that they could hold an illegal rally. They were accompanied by two
totally ineffective policemen.
When I arrived they had already started the rally. I was pulled from
the car and forced to march to the back of the sawmill. I tried to
reason with them, but each time they would shout in my face, 'Stop
calling us bloody kaffirs'. I tried to say that I wasn't, only to be
told I had called them 'black bastards'. They then told me to sit down
with the workers and listen to the rally, all of which was in Shona so
I didn't have a clue what they were ranting and raving about.
One of them then noticed a bulge in my pocket and started shouting
that I had a gun, I said 'Don't be silly it's my keys,' and pulled them
out of the pocket. I was rewarded with an open- handed, full-force slap
across the ear, which knocked my glasses flying.
I was then pulled up to the front of the crowd where I was again
accused of calling them 'black kaffirs' and 'black bastards'. I denied
this, which just made them madder. At this point the police inspector,
who was at the rally, came up to me and said, 'Please just apologise
for your own safety.' I explained that I had not said anything that I
was being accused of, he replied that it did not matter and that I
should just apologise anyway.
The so-called war vets are absolutely insane, and pure evil exudes
from them. They have a demonic look in their eyes, and they refuse to
listen to any reasoning. I was then told to sit in the mud in front of
the sawmill workforce, and was forced to chant Zanu-PF slogans. They
then called me up to the front to stand with them, and forced me to
read out a totally fictitious document that was meant to be an
agreement between Anglo American and the Movement for Democratic
Change, with the details of how the country's assets would be divided
up after an MDC victory. Anyone with even half a brain could tell that
this was just Zanu-PF propaganda. It was so poorly written and so
unbelievable that it would have been funny, had I not been surrounded
by people carrying spears, batons and machetes.
After a couple of hours of this they sent the workers away and asked
the management to stay behind, so that we could take down a list of
their demands. One of the other white managers suggested that we go
into the offices, so that we could take notes properly. One war vet
screamed: 'This is our fucking land and you can't tell us what to do.'
These people have crossed the line and are no longer sane.
Anyway, we took down a list of their demands, which were as
follows:
- Mr Bottger and Mr Coates (the two most senior managers in Chimanimani) are to be replaced with black managers in the next 48 hours.
- Mr Bottger and Mr Coates are to be delivered to the war vets.
- Border Timbers is to fund Zanu-PF's election campaign.
- Border Timbers is to provide transport to ferry the workers and their families to the Zanu-PF rallies.
- Border Timbers is to supply two cows for meat at the rally.
My name, along with the names of the other three managers with me, was
taken down, and we were told we would be held accountable if their
demands were not met. They then left the premises to go onto other
commercial enterprises in the area. Followed closely by their police
escort.
I went back to my car only to find the war vets had stolen my car
radio/tape, my radar detector, and a jacket that was on the seats. This
once again proves that they are nothing more than common criminals and
thugs.
As for me, I am fine but am no longer a passive supporter of the
Opposition. I will not do anything stupid, but I am more determined
than ever to stay here and vote this evil bunch out of power and into
the jail cells they deserve.
One driver from Chimanimani was braver than me and refused to take off
his MDC T-shirt. He was beaten senseless and left in a ditch until they
had finished intimidating the rest of us. Only then, four hours later,
was he allowed to be taken to hospital."
