Things fall apart at Hargreaves’ farm

Workers at Aberdeen Farm in Norton are up in arms against the farm’s general manager whom they are accusing of exploiting and abusing them.

Ironically, the farm belongs to the family of the late Dr Stuart Hargreaves, a veterinary expert who was known for championing the causes of black rural and smallholder farmers.

Dr Hargreaves, who was declared a liberation war hero, died in 2012 and had served Government for 41 years in the department of livestock and veterinary services where he was the principal director.

When Dr Hargreaves died, Dr Joseph Made, the Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Minister, described him as a patriot who championed the causes of the downtrodden.

“Dr Hargreaves saw no colour, creed nor religion. He only saw himself as a true Zimbabwean at international forums. Dr Hargreaves would first lift the Zimbabwean flag high,” Dr Made was quoted in The Herald.

Barely some three years following his passing on, workers at his farm are bitter about the current state of affairs.

Since the death of the veterinary expert, the workers allege both the working and living conditions deteriorated rapidly.

The workers are alleging that they have been subjected to intimidation, unfair dismissals and non-payment of severance packages.

Both former and current workers are accusing Mr Gavin Forster, the general manager, of threatening the workers with arrest each time they approach him to either claim their money or air their grievances.

A female worker is alleged to have been beaten by the manager and is still nursing an injury.

The workers claim that Mr Forster, whom they said runs the farm the “Rhodesian way” openly boasts that he is well-connected and, therefore, untouchable.

In a letter addressed to the late Dr Hargreaves’ widow, who is no-longer staying at the farm and is not directly involved in its affairs, the workers pleaded with her to intervene and called upon the dismissal of Mr Forster.

Part of the letter to Mrs Hargreaves read:

“The farm workers committee kindly request for your intervention at the farm, the working conditions have deteriorated to the extent that we are using the bush system as toilets. We also want you to address some of the problems affecting us since the general manager, Mr Gavin Forster, has always denied us our right to meet or talk to you.”

The letter highlighted the workers’ grievances.

“Mr Forster has been treating us as second class citizens since the time Dr Hargreaves passed on. Our problems are falling on deaf ears. Imagine at one time he removed his pants in front of our wives.

“This is sexual harassment and public indecency that we do not expect from someone of his stature. Please come and address and solve our working conditions before we take the matter to higher authorities (police and labour) . . .”

According to the workers, Mr Forster conducts his business in a “racially discriminatory environment”.

Mr Forster also stand accused of not remitting the workers’ contributions to NSSA. Without medical aid cover, the workers are allegedly not given any form of medical assistance.

The workers said electricity has since been disconnected from the farm compound and that they have not been offered protective clothing.

Rena Sinoya said that she was fired from her job after she was singled out as the ring leader following disgruntlement at the farm over the poor working conditions.

“I was fired for my involvement with the workers’ committee. When I came back to the farm to claim my money, Mr Forster, with the help of two guards, beat me up. He is now in the process of acquiring a peace order against me so that I cannot come here and ask for my money,” a limping Sinoya said.

Sinoya said the limping was a result of the beating by Mr Forster.

Looking frail and wasted, Eddie Moyo (30) says he was seriously injured when he fell off a moving tractor last year.

“I fell from a moving tractor and I was not given any assistance by the manager. My mother footed the medical bills. I was subsequently dismissed and when I went to Mr Forster to ask for my money, he told me to go away and report to whoever I wanted to,” the visibly ill Moyo said.

According to Moyo, Mr Forster boasted that he had the means to enlist the services of the country’s top lawyers, adding that he was politically well-connected.

Moyo availed a voice recording in which a man he identified as Mr Forster could be heard challenging him to take his case to whoever he thought would help.

Another former worker, Danny Kadumba, alleged that he was fired for “talking too much”.

“I was called to the manager’s office and told that I was talking too much. Mr Forster then told me that he was going to close the workshop and that I had lost my job. For the 10 years that I worked at the farm, I was given a paltry $700. This man treated me like a kid,” a bitter Mr Kadumba said.

Mr Kadumba queried how the manager arrived at the “paltry” figure, adding that he was never given an opportunity to raise his objections.

Last week, Mr Reuben Nyamayaro, a boilermaker at the farm died a painful death after a boiler exploded, literally breaking him into pieces.

“It was gruesome. Reuben was torn into pieces and the police had to pick up his intestines which were scattered all over. That boiler was outdated, sub-standard and a time bomb that eventually detonated,” added Kadumba.

The farm workers alleged that Mr Forster was told that the boiler needed repairs, but the manager forced the workers to do their job.

A visit to the farm revealed that the workers are living in deplorable conditions. Save for a few decent houses that are occupied by the farm supervisors, the majority of the workers live in dilapidated mud and thatch structures.

The farm compound could easily be mistaken for a large, abandoned illegal settlement. One of the workers who requested anonymity was bitter about the unavailability of toilets at the farm.

“In this day and age, we do not have toilets. We are relieving ourselves in the bush near the cemetery. This man is treating us worse than dogs,” the worker said.

When given the opportunity to give his side of the story, Mr Forster skirted around the issues and desperately tried to dissuade this paper from pursuing the story.

Ignoring all the other questions related to how he treat the workers, Mr Forster only spoke about the assault case, referring this paper to Norton police.

“The woman you are talking about is a problem. Her case is being handled by Norton police where she is facing three charges. I do not want to comment about the other allegations,” Mr Forster said.

What then followed was a brief “lecture” in which Mr Forster gave this reporter “advice” on how to cover such a “sensitive issue”.

Efforts to get a comment from Mrs Hargreaves, who was said to be out of the country, were not successful.