The Battle For Arnold Farm

THE BATTLE FOR ARNOLD FARM
(NEW WAVE OF FARM INVASIONS IN ZIMBABWE – BLACK ON BLACK LAND GRAB)

Synopsis
Since colonization land has always been the source of conflicts in Zimbabwe. In year 2000, the former late President Robert Mugabe ordered landless black Zimbabweans to ‘take back’ their land from the white farmers. Many white farmers lost their farms to landless Zimbabweans without any compensation and black Zimbabweans were resettled in those farms without any offer letters. However, today the very landless poor black Zimbabweans now find themselves victims from the powerful black government officials.
‘THE BATTLE FOR ARNOLD FARM’ documentary film is an intensive narration of the Arnold farm (Manzou) residents’ brave battle against the powerful invaders – it is a back-drop story of nowadays’ ‘black on black’ land invasions taking place country wide.
The ‘Anonymous Filmmakers’ followed the Arnold farm residents as they gallantly fought and defeated the invaders, one by one. Firstly, it was Mathew Kunaka, a Zimbabwe Reserve Bank official who tried to fraudulently snatch away Arnold farm with a fraudulent offer letter. The new residents fought him tooth and nail and he left red-faced.

Then in year 2012, a bareknuckle legal fight for the farm broke out between the first family and Arnold farm residents. In 2014, Mugabe first family, Minister of lands and police commissioner were dragged to the High court by the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human rights (ZLHR) who were representing the residents and the court ruled in Arnold farm residents’ favor. That unlikely court judgement did not go well with the most powerful family in the land. This resulted in the first family to intensify their grip on the farm in 2015, the case was taken back to the court, again the Arnold fam residents won the case.

Then early 2017, the first family declared war against Arnold farm residents; they deployed armed police and dogs to forcefully evict Arnold farm occupiers. They destroyed residents’ houses, furniture and crops before forcefully moving them to Rivers farm along Mvurwi road. At Rivers farm, the residents were dumped during rainy season and left on an open space with no shelters, food or water. The ZLHR applied for an urgent chamber application which was granted in March 2017. The High court ruled that the invaders must stop interfering with the residents. Nonetheless, the first family is not complying with the court orders granted in favor of the landless poor black residents. To date, boom gates guided by armed police are now mounted on all entry points to Arnold farm.

On top of extensively covering the plight of Arnold farm residents, ‘THE BATTLE FOR ARNOLD FARM’ also feature CDE Robert Mugabe’s optimistic independence speech in 1980 and later accusing USA, Britain and Tony Blair for not owning up to their independence agreement, comments on land issue from Zimbabwe’s main opposition party Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T) late leader Morgan Tsvangirai, Blade Nzimande of South African Communist Party (SACP) Japhet Moyo and Peter Mutasa, the former Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) leader. Also featured is Benjamin (Ben) Freeth, a prominent Zimbabwean white farmer who lost his farm to Nathan Shamuyarira, then senior minister in 2009.

Email: cameproductions@yahoo.co.uk or anonymousfilmproductions@gmail.com

Directed and Produced by Peter Mutanda
Running time: 1 Hour