Maravi

(HERALD) Abused farm worker chooses to stick to oath

Abused farm worker chooses to stick to oath
Saturday, 02 July 2011 18:28 Features
By Emilia Zindi recently in Matabeleland South

MR Tambula Dube of Mochado Ranch, about 80 kilometres west of Beitbridge, has worked for the Watsons on tha farm since 1961. Although he is not sure of his age, any visitor can tell that he should be in his 80s. Mr Dube was involved in a recent incident in which his employer, Mr George Watson, allegedly destroyed his workers’ houses before setting their belongings on fire.

The workers’ crime was that they had failed to chase stray cattle from his homestead. Mr Watson, who is on US$100 bail, has had a long-standing dispute with villagers from the surrounding communal lands over grazing land and water points. The villagers’ livestock stray into his farm in search of pasture and water. But Mr Watson says the animals damage the dam wall and his crops.

Mr Dube, whose house was damaged during the incident on May 31 when Mr Watson allegedly drove his Toyota Land Cruiser through the compound, destroying houses in which people were sleeping, said he first worked for George’s father before he died a few years ago. Mr Dube has worked on the ranch for the last 50 years. He owns 20 head of cattle that are kept on the Watsons’ farm.

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For him, May 31 is a day he will never forget after he, together with his wife, survived when Mr Watson allegedly drove his vehicle through the compound at night, destroying more than five houses in the rampage. There were at least 10 people in the destroyed huts. “I want to go, but I promised George’s father before he died that I will not leave his children,” said Mr Dube.

“I promised to continue working for his family until amen. This is the only thing that makes me stay, otherwise I am tired now.’’ Mr Dube, who looked dejected, shared his wish to leave the employment he has been glued to for the most part of his life. “I started working for his father in 1961 until he died more than four years ago before his son, George, took over the running of the farm,” he said.

“Before his father died, he asked me to make an oath that I will not leave this farm until I die, of which I did. So I am trying to keep the promise although I am now tired and my body is no longer able to work. “I am trying to look after his family by continuing to work for his son.’’ Mr Dube, who is still working as a driver on the farm, repairing water pumps as well as other farm implements, says he was still trying to come to terms with what transpired on the day in question.

He said it all started when he heard Mr Watson calling the maid who lives in the same compound with him. “The boss was calling the maid to go to the homestead to drive out some cattle which he said had strayed into his premises,’’ said Mr Dube. “Suddenly, I heard a loud bang outside. I ignored it at first. Within a few minutes I heard another loud bang, this time it was right behind my house. Suddenly the walls collapsed, forcing me to wake my wife to bolt outside.’’

Mr Dube said he then came face-to-face with Mr Watson, who looked into his eyes without saying a single word. “I looked at him as well without saying anything either,” he said. “He started smoking his cigarette while gazing at me. He then stretched his hand and gave me one cigarette before he left.’’ A few minutes later, Mr Dube took the opportunity to look around the compound as he wanted to see what exactly had happened. The occupants of the houses had all fled after surviving the horrific incident.

“As I walked around the compound, Mr Watson suddenly came back carrying a five-litre container which had petrol in it,” said Mr Dube, “He went on to sprinkle the petrol on the belongings of the other workers who had fled the scene before setting them alight.’’ Mr Dube said he could not restrain his boss. “I feared the worst could happen if I restrained him,” he said. “So, I just watched him doing all that until he left.”

The maid, Ms Faith Ndlela, who had been called to the homestead to drive out the cattle, could also not hide her terror as she narrated the ordeal of that fateful night. “He called me out at midnight saying I must drive out cattle from his place,” she said. “When I got to the house, I saw a herd of cattle and drove it until I got to the nearest village where he suspected the cattle had come from.’’ Ms Ndlela said as she made her way back to the compound, she met some of her colleagues who warned her not to go back as the “boss” was busy destroying the compound. “I met some of my neighbours who warned me not to go back home as there was no peace in the compound because of the boss who had run amok destroying our houses,” she said.

“I then remained in the bush for a while until he went away.” Ms Ndlela said she could not go back to the compound on the same night as she feared something worse could happen to her. Instead, she went to sleep in the neighbourhood until the following day when she went to report for duty. It was then that her boss ordered that the destroyed houses be reconstructed within an hour’s time before the police arrived.

Mr Watson allegedly ordered the workers to repair the bumper of his truck which he had used in destroying the houses. “All this was done so as to conceal evidence as he was aware that the workers had reported to the police,’’ said Ms Ndlela. She said inasmuch as she would want to leave employment because of the treatment she gets from her employer, poverty was the only reason she remained. The other families whose houses were destroyed on the fateful night could not be located as some were said to have left employment after the incident.

Mr Watson was not on the farm when The Sunday Mail In-depth crew visited, but his wife was at home. “I do not want to speak to you people because each time you report on us, the situation here has deteriorated as you have given us bad publicity,” said the wife. “Please leave us alone. George is not here and I can not tell you where he is.” A security guard, Mr Robert Sibanda, said the atmosphere on the farm was tense after the incident as villagers from the neighbourhood had threatened to attack Mr Watson.

He said Mr Watson had a long-standing dispute with villagers in the nearby Siyoka and Majini areas over grazing land and water points. Mr Watson is accused of barring livestock from the nearby villages from drinking from the watering points which are on his farm as well as grazing from his land. The farm, which is adjacent to the communal areas, is at the centre of controversy with the villagers charging that there is no way their livestock could not stray on the farm since it was the only area with pasture.
Villagers whose cattle strayed into his farm allege that they are subjected to beatings once caught in search of their animals.

Mr Watson allegedly introduced some passes which villagers who want to search for their stray animals must first obtain from his office. The passes clearly state the name of the person, where they come from and the total number of cattle lost.

“We have to have this pass otherwise if he sees us without them, he beats us,” said a boy who was being issued with one such pass.

“There is no way we can stop our animals from coming here because this is the only area with grazing land as well as drinking water.’’ Some villagers said they feared their children could one day be attacked by the two lions kept in a fence by Mr Watson along the road that leads to his homestead.-The Sunday Mail

Labels: LABOUR, WHITE FARMERS

posted by MrK @ 4:28 PM