The Zimbabwean
30th April 2008
Wayne Munroe, a farmer in Nymandlovhu (just outside Bulawayo in Matabeleland South, Zimbabwe), has been under siege since early this morning. His property has been encircled by in excess of 100 “war veterans”.
He phoned the police in Nymandlovhu to inform them of the problem and was on the phone to them when 4 “war veterans” entered his office. He immediately told the member in charge that they were there and that a 303 (gun) was being pointed at his chest. He was forced to hang up.
A tussle ensued: Munroe was injured on the hand with the head of an axe blade and he sprayed the attackers with pepper spray enabling him to escape.
He was fired at 4 times, but they missed, and Munroe managed to get to the farm house where his mother and grandmother live.
The war veterans moved into the compound outside the perimeter fence and are busy right now beating the workers.
Munroe’s wife and his two children, aged 4 and 5, are holed up in their own house some 100m away.
One of the workers managed to escape the beating at the compound (which is outside the perimeter fence of both farm houses) and managed to get to Munroe.
He told Munroe that after they finished beating the workers, they were coming for the farmhouses.
Mrs Munroe (Ursula) managed to phone out that she was going to attempt getting to her husband, but has failed because more armed “war veterans” have moved in.
She is currently there now.
Senator David Coltart has repeatedly called Chief Inspector Munyira at Nymandlovhu to go and assist the Munroes.
Coltart was told by the police they would send a detail out but at 3.10pm one – ONE – police officer arrived at the gate of the farm and then left.
To add to the sinister nature of the situation, this morning the regular member in charge and various other officers were replaced at Nymandlovhu police station. This points to the fact that the police were not trusted to carry out this brutal assault.
Yesterday Munroe was warned that there had been a meeting at stops camp in Bulawayo where the decision to invade had been made.