The war against the whites is not over in Zimbabwe

Power-sharing has not loosened Mugabe’s iron grip, says Ben Freeth, a farmer whose home and livelihood were destroyed by Zanu-PF militants

On Sunday 30 August last year, as we drove back from church to our home in Chegutu, northern Zimbabwe, my wife and I spotted a large swirl of white smoke in the distance. We soon realised, to our horror, that the thick fumes were coming from our property. Our farm was on fire.

By the time we reached the drive, the flames were tearing across our land, heading towards our workers’ homes, the orchards and our own house. We needed water, and lots of it, fast. But we were at a major disadvantage. Several weeks earlier the Zanu-PF militants (the same men who, we can be certain, started the fire) had stolen our tractors, water carts and fire-fighting equipment, leaving us no means of dousing the flames. In desperation, we took some green branches and beat frantically at the fast-advancing walls of flame.