Elderly SA farmer awaits eviction ruling
2012-12-18 08:59
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Johannesburg - An elderly South African farmer who has farmed in Zimbabwe for nearly 50 years will know on Friday whether he is to be evicted from his land, Beeld reported on Tuesday.
Piet Henning, who has owned land in the Chiredzi district, in the south-east of the country since 1965, has to appear in court on Friday "for the 27th or 28th time" on charges of illegally occupying government land.
The "government land" is the stable and original farm of 81ha that he retained after he had more than 200ha of sugarcane fields confiscated in 2003, Beeld reported.
Henning, who farms with his son, Greig, had three farms at one stage, but the other two had been completely destroyed by 2009.
For the past three years, Henning has had to appear in court every six weeks.
President Robert Mugabe's government has been trying for 12 years to drive white commercial farmers off their land, and there are currently only 221 farmers left, from the original 5 000.
"I expect to be found guilty," Henning said on Monday.
The Zimbabwean attorney general and the secretary of justice have told the courts that no white commercial farmer may be acquitted for land issues.
- SAPA
