Ben Freeth a Zimbabwean farmer who has worked tirelessly for the right of commercial farmers and farm workers to continue producing crops for the nation in the face of mass-scale state-sponsored harassment, has been awarded an MBE (Member of the British Empire).
Freeth's name appears on the British Government’s Diplomatic Service and Overseas list, published as part of the Queen's Birthday Honours 2010.  The citation reads:  “Benjamin John Freeth: for services to the farming community in Zimbabwe". This includes the country’s black farm workers and their families, estimated at about two million people in 2000, most of whom are now destitute, as well as the mainly white commercial farmers, the majority of whom have also lost everything.
Freeth (40), is one of 44 people worldwide who will be invited to Buckingham Palace in London to receive an MBE award from the Queen. Honours lists are published twice a year at New Year and in mid-June on the date of The Queen's official birthday. Anyone can receive an award if they reach the required standard of merit or service, and honours lists contain a wide variety of people from different backgrounds.
The British honours system is one of the oldest in the world and evolved over 650 years as the country sought to find alternative mechanisms for recognising merit, gallantry and service. Speaking from his temporary home in Harare as he was finally forced off his farm last year, Freeth said he had been unaware that his name had been put forward for consideration and admitted to being overwhelmed by the honour. “At last we are making some headway,” he said.  “This is tangible recognition of all of the farming community’s efforts during this past turbulent and traumatic decade. We hope it will create a new, positive platform from which our country can move forward.”
In 1999, Freeth’s father-in-law, Mike Campbell, purchased Mount Carmel farm, which is located in the Chegutu district of Mashonaland West, in the family’s company name. Every farm bought after independence in 1980 had to be offered to the government first for possible land redistribution and then deeds were stamped "No Government Interest" if they did not wish to purchase it.
However, from July 2001, 17 months after the violent, state-sponsored land invasions began, government agents sought to seize the highly productive Mount Carmel operation, farmed jointly by Campbell, Freeth and Campbell’s son, Bruce. Despite court orders protecting the residents of Mount Carmel, they continued to be the target of appalling violence and abuse which frequently brought farming operations to a halt at a time when starvation had become rife country-wide.
In October 2007, Campbell and Freeth took their case to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Tribunal in Windhoek, Namibia, and were granted an interim relief order barring the government from evicting them or interfering with farming operations. Undeterred, the government continued its campaign of harassment, culminating immediately after the fraudulent parliamentary and presidential elections in June 2008 with the abduction and torture of Mike Campbell, his wife Angela and Ben Freeth.
Although both men were severely injured and Freeth had to undergo an emergency brain operation, they survived the ordeal. Once they had recovered sufficiently, they continued their efforts to protect their farm and farm workers, grow crops for the nation and for foreign currency, and to help restore the rule of law in Zimbabwe.
At the end of August 2009, the Freeth’s farmhouse, a number of worker homes and their linen factory, a successful women’s upliftment project, were burnt to the ground.  Three days later, the Campbell’s homestead was also destroyed by fire.  An acclaimed documentary, “Mugabe and the White African”, has been made of the courageous stand taken against a dictator and his corrupt government by the residents of Mount Carmel farm.

By Staff reporter and agencies

Comments(1):

1. How can Ben Freeth and his father in law be trusted?

   If Freeth’s father-in-law, Mike Campbell, purchased Mount Carmel farm in 1999, where did he live from 1974 to 1999? This army captain from South Africa is not telling the whole truth and this is not helping the genuine white settlers who want to stay and to contribute to Africa's future.

   Tuesday, July 20, 2010 Christian