Ben Freeth
Encyclopedia
Benjamin "Ben" Freeth, MBE
(born c. 1971) is a British
-born White Zimbabwean farmer and human rights activist from the district of Chegutu
in Mashonaland West Province, Zimbabwe
. Together with his father-in-law, Mike Campbell
, he rose to international prominence after 2008 for suing the regime of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe
for violating rule of law and human rights in Zimbabwe. Freeth and Campbell's lawsuit against the Mugabe regime – the case of Mike Campbell (Pvt) Ltd and Others v Republic of Zimbabwe
– was chronicled in the award-winning 2009 documentary film Mugabe and the White African
.
, Kent
in southern England
, the son of a British military family. After the independence of Zimbabwe in 1980, the family relocated to the country where Freeth's father had been hired by the Zimbabwean government to set up a new staff training college for the newly established national army. Freeth went on to study at the Royal Agricultural College
in Gloucestershire
, England. He then returned to Zimbabwe and married Laura Campbell, the daughter of white African farmer Mike Campbell and his wife Angela. The Freeths built a house on the Campbells' 3,000-acre Mount Carmel estate in Chegutu and Freeth eventually became an official with the Commercial Farmers' Union. They are the parents of three children.
Together, Freeth and Mike Campbell managed the farm's operations and employed a sizeable number of local farm labourers while Laura oversaw a linen factory on the estate which employed many of the farm workers' wives. The Mount Carmel estate was described as a model employer. By the late 1990s, Mount Carmel had become the largest mango producer in Zimbabwe. It also produced maize, tobacco and sunflowers and sustained the livelihoods of more than 500 local Zimbabwean people. In 1999, ownership of the farm was transferred into a family company by a “certificate of no interest” from the Mugabe government. 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 the government did not wish to purchase it.
. Under this programme, several thousand white-owned farms have been repossessed without compensation by the Zimbabwean government. While the stated intention of the programme is to redistribute land to disadvantaged Zimbabweans, many of the repossessed lands have in fact been given to government officials and others loyal to the Mugabe government. Subsequently, many of these farms have fallen into disrepair and are no longer active.
Freeth and Campbell chose to dispute the eviction order in court. After having been defeated in the Supreme Court of Zimbabwe
, they took their case to the SADC Tribunal
, a regional court of the Southern African Development Community
. During the course of the case, Freeth, together with Mike and Angela Campbell, was abducted and beaten by Mugabe supporters. The tribunal eventually ruled in Freeth and Campbell's favour, finding that the Zimbabwean government's land repossessions were entirely racially-based and, therefore, were in violation of the SADC's principles of human rights. The government of Zimbabwe was ordered to respect Freeth and Campbell's right to own and operate their farm.
The Mugabe government ignored the ruling and later withdrew Zimbabwe from the SADC. In August 2009, the Mount Carmel estate was invaded by Mugabe supporters and Freeth and Campbell's homes were burned down, as were the homes of the farm's workers and their families. The Freeths and Campbells, as well as their workers, were driven from the property. As of 2011, the Mount Carmel estate has become derelict and overgrown. Mike Campbell died in April 2011, though Freeth has stated his intention to continue fighting to take back ownership of the property.
by Queen Elizabeth II in recognition of his human rights activism in Zimbabwe.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born c. 1971) is a British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
-born White Zimbabwean farmer and human rights activist from the district of Chegutu
Chegutu
Chegutu is a town in the Mashonaland West province, northern Zimbabwe and is 110km southwest of Harare on the main Harare-Bulawayo road . According to the 1992 Population Census, the town had a population of 30,191...
in Mashonaland West Province, Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
. Together with his father-in-law, Mike Campbell
Mike Campbell (farmer)
Michael "Mike" Campbell was a white African farmer from the district of Chegutu in Zimbabwe...
, he rose to international prominence after 2008 for suing the regime of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe
Robert Mugabe
Robert Gabriel Mugabe is the President of Zimbabwe. As one of the leaders of the liberation movement against white-minority rule, he was elected into power in 1980...
for violating rule of law and human rights in Zimbabwe. Freeth and Campbell's lawsuit against the Mugabe regime – the case of Mike Campbell (Pvt) Ltd and Others v Republic of Zimbabwe
Mike Campbell (Pvt) Ltd and Others v Republic of Zimbabwe
Mike Campbell Ltd et al. v. Republic of Zimbabwe is a case decided by the Southern African Development Community Tribunal...
– was chronicled in the award-winning 2009 documentary film Mugabe and the White African
Mugabe and the White African
Mugabe and the White African is a 2009 documentary film by Lucy Bailey and Andrew Thompson. The film documents the lives of a white family who run a farm in Chegutu, Zimbabwe, as they challenge the land redistribution programme that seizes white-owned farms beginning in 2000...
.
Background
Freeth was born in SittingbourneSittingbourne
Sittingbourne is an industrial town about eight miles east of Gillingham in England, beside the Roman Watling Street off a creek in the Swale, a channel separating the Isle of Sheppey from mainland Kent...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
in southern England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, the son of a British military family. After the independence of Zimbabwe in 1980, the family relocated to the country where Freeth's father had been hired by the Zimbabwean government to set up a new staff training college for the newly established national army. Freeth went on to study at the Royal Agricultural College
Royal Agricultural College
The Royal Agricultural College is a higher education institution located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, UK. Established in 1845, it was the first agricultural college in the English speaking world...
in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, England. He then returned to Zimbabwe and married Laura Campbell, the daughter of white African farmer Mike Campbell and his wife Angela. The Freeths built a house on the Campbells' 3,000-acre Mount Carmel estate in Chegutu and Freeth eventually became an official with the Commercial Farmers' Union. They are the parents of three children.
Together, Freeth and Mike Campbell managed the farm's operations and employed a sizeable number of local farm labourers while Laura oversaw a linen factory on the estate which employed many of the farm workers' wives. The Mount Carmel estate was described as a model employer. By the late 1990s, Mount Carmel had become the largest mango producer in Zimbabwe. It also produced maize, tobacco and sunflowers and sustained the livelihoods of more than 500 local Zimbabwean people. In 1999, ownership of the farm was transferred into a family company by a “certificate of no interest” from the Mugabe government. 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 the government did not wish to purchase it.
Lawsuit Against Robert Mugabe
In 2001, however, the Freeths and Campbells were issued an eviction notice from the Mugabe government as part of Mugabe's controversial land reform programmeLand reform in Zimbabwe
Land reform in Zimbabwe officially began in 1979 with the signing of the Lancaster House Agreement, an effort to more equitably distribute land between the historically disenfranchised blacks and the minority-whites who ruled Zimbabwe from 1890 to 1979...
. Under this programme, several thousand white-owned farms have been repossessed without compensation by the Zimbabwean government. While the stated intention of the programme is to redistribute land to disadvantaged Zimbabweans, many of the repossessed lands have in fact been given to government officials and others loyal to the Mugabe government. Subsequently, many of these farms have fallen into disrepair and are no longer active.
Freeth and Campbell chose to dispute the eviction order in court. After having been defeated in the Supreme Court of Zimbabwe
Supreme Court of Zimbabwe
The Supreme Court of Zimbabwe is the highest court of order and the final court of appeal in Zimbabwe.The judiciary is headed by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court who, like the other justices, is appointed by the President on the advice of the Judicial Service Commission. The court consists of...
, they took their case to the SADC Tribunal
SADC Tribunal
The SADC Tribunal is a court and the highest policy institution of the Southern African Development Community . It is housed in the Turnhalle building in Windhoek, the capital of Namibia. Although established on paper since 1992, members of the Tribunal were only appointed during the SADC Summit in...
, a regional court of the Southern African Development Community
Southern African Development Community
The Southern African Development Community is an inter-governmental organization headquartered in Gaborone, Botswana. Its goal is to further socio-economic cooperation and integration as well as political and security cooperation among 15 southern African states...
. During the course of the case, Freeth, together with Mike and Angela Campbell, was abducted and beaten by Mugabe supporters. The tribunal eventually ruled in Freeth and Campbell's favour, finding that the Zimbabwean government's land repossessions were entirely racially-based and, therefore, were in violation of the SADC's principles of human rights. The government of Zimbabwe was ordered to respect Freeth and Campbell's right to own and operate their farm.
The Mugabe government ignored the ruling and later withdrew Zimbabwe from the SADC. In August 2009, the Mount Carmel estate was invaded by Mugabe supporters and Freeth and Campbell's homes were burned down, as were the homes of the farm's workers and their families. The Freeths and Campbells, as well as their workers, were driven from the property. As of 2011, the Mount Carmel estate has become derelict and overgrown. Mike Campbell died in April 2011, though Freeth has stated his intention to continue fighting to take back ownership of the property.
Honours
In June 2010, Freeth was inducted into the Order of the British EmpireOrder of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
by Queen Elizabeth II in recognition of his human rights activism in Zimbabwe.