JASPREET KINDRA, Johannesburg | Friday
ONE of the world’s most successful black rhino breeding farms was occupied by war veterans last weekend in Turk Mine, located in the Bubi district of Matebeleland, and farm owner Richard Pascal was arrested for attempted Murder.
Pascal’s 22 000ha farm is home to 33 black rhino and has a breeding rate of 12 to 14% a year – the highest for the highly endangered black rhino. War veterans began occupying portions of Pascal’s farm in February 2000. Last month they demanded that Pascal vacate the property and the rhino were confined to a smaller area. Since March 25 the rhino have been denied water as Pascal no longer has access to the water pump. Owing to the stressed conditions one of the rhino died two weeks ago.
On Monday, after being released on bail, Pascal realised he was homeless. While he was in the lock-up, war veterans took over his entire farm. Pascal describes the occupation as a betrayal of assurances given by the Zimbabwean Environment Ministry that farms devoted to breeding wildlife will not be taken over for redistribution.
Pascal’s ordeal began on Friday night, April 5, when war veterans broke into his home, ordering the farmer and his friends to leave.
With the help of some members of the police, Pascal managed to send the war veterans away. But they returned the next morning. When Pascal went down to address them, he was attacked by youths armed with spears, axes and catapults.
Pascal’s friends rushed to his rescue and fired shots into the air. By then the war veterans were firing stones from catapults. Pascal returned to his home to collect his gun and then fired more shots into the air to disperse the crowd.
The war veterans claimed that a bullet wounded one of their members and Pascal was arrested on murder charges.
Pascal believes the war veterans had the backing of certain policemen who were interested in rhino horns. When the rhino died two weeks ago, Pascal brought the National Parks officials in to collect the horn. He said the war veteran squatters got agitated that they had not been consulted as they had wanted the trophy fee for the animals.
Pascal bought his farm 15 years ago. Ten black rhino were brought into the farm as part of a government-backed initiative to save the endangered species. Since then South Africans, Americans and the British have pumped money into the farm as part of a two-pronged approach – saving the wildlife and community development.
“I have already committed 4 000ha of my property for resettlement. I am a Zimbabwean citizen. I was quite prepared to spend the rest of my life here,” Pascal said.