(TALKZIMBABWE) White farmer dies celebrating black farmer’s death

White farmer dies celebrating black farmer’s death
By Emilia Zindi (TSM)
Sun, 13 Dec 2009 15:40:00 +0000

IN a dramatic twist of irony, a former Chegutu commercial farmer died in a car accident on Monday night after a drinking binge in which he was reportedly celebrating the death, in a car crash, of a newly resettled farmer.

After reportedly spending an evening celebrating the death of Mr Tenias Zvaita, it is understood Mr Bart Wald died later that night on his way home after his Toyota Land Cruiser rammed into a stationary mine bus at the corner of Concession Hill Road and the Harare-Bulawayo road.

Mr Zvaita had died in a car accident the previous day. Chegutu police have confirmed the two deaths.

Mr Zvaita had been settled at Rainbow’s End Farm, which forms part of Chigwel Extension and had for a long time been at the centre of a bitter dispute between Mr Zvaita and the previous owner.

Although the newly settled farmer was a holder of a valid offer letter, the former owner had reportedly vehemently refused to vacate the farm.

A farmer in the area, Mr Shingisai Bob Makoni, told The Sunday Mail that he last spoke to Mr Zvaita on the fateful Sunday after they met at a filling station a few hours before he died.

Their discussions, he said, centred on the continued resistance by some former commercial farmers in the town to vacate designated properties.

According to Mr Makoni, Mr Zvaita had told him that he had received some threats so he was trying to vacate his farm before sunset.

He had, however, collided head-on with a haulage truck along the Chegutu-Chinhoyi road and died instantly. On hearing the news, Mr Wald and some friends whose farms were also acquired by the Government are said to have headed to a local country club where they were reportedly celebrating Mr Zvaita’s death. A club member told The Sunday Mail that the former farm owners could be heard shouting “one down!”

However, Mr Wald was also involved in an accident later that night while driving home.

The wreckages of the two vehicles were ironically parked side-by-side at Chegutu Police Station last week.