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This article participates on the following special index pages:
2008 harmonised elections - Index of articles
Interview
with Ben Freeth and Angela Campbell (rough transcript with audio
files)
Peter
Etheredge
June 30, 2008
View audio file details
View images
of the injuries incurred in this attack here
Read the Daily
Telegraph article about this attack here
Ben Freeth (BF)
Angela Campbell (AC)
Peter Etheredge - Interviewer (PE)
Ben
Freeth
BF - And when
they got there they beat my feet quite badly -they beat my feet
for a long time
PE -
Where was Mike and Angela at this time?
BF - They were
also being beaten.
PE -
They were lying next to you? ...
PE -
Ben what also happened at Pixton - I believe you were forced to
sign some papers?
BF - I am not
quite sure. I did not sign anything but Angela signed something
but I'm not too sure what it was all about. They were wanting us
to withdraw the SADC case and so it was under serious duress. Yes
obviously we will refute that.
PE -
They obviously saw Bruce driving into Chegutu?
BF - Yes because
he had some serious shots fired at him.
PE -
Did you notice any weapons in the car?
BF - Yes there
were weapons.
PE -
Did you notice whether there were any hunting rifles, automatic
weapons or shotguns?
BF - No I'm
not really sure but there was one weapon that they beat me with.
I'm not sure whether it was a shotgun or a rifle.
PE -
Ok
BF - They shot
at me when I drove in. Fortunately the bullet missed me.
PE -
Would it have been a heavy calibre weapon or .22.type thing? Did
it go through the windscreen?
BF - Yah and
it sort of dazed me a bit. Then they grabbed me out of the vehicle
and I was pretty sure that we were all going to be killed. We were
praying and everybody else was praying and amazingly they told us
they were going to kill us.
PE -
This was Gilbert Moyo himself?
BF - Yah. I'm
not really sure what he looks like.
PE -
He is my sort of my build, my height?...So these guys grabbed you
and pulled you out the vehicle?
BF - They pulled
my jersey off and my shirt off.
PE -
How many guys?
BF - There must
have been about 30.
PE -
And were they all climbing into you?
BF - Yah.
PE -
They obviously had sticks and stuff?
BF - Yah.
PE -
We heard that there was a report that there was a mini bus.
BF - It looked
like a white Ford, it looked like one of those Ford Transit vans
and they also had a red pick up which was Kobus's. This was one
of the ones they took out to Pixton.
PE -
Did the whole lot follow you out there?
BF - Yah - there
were about fifty (50) there.
PE -
What did they do, sit you down and chant around you?
BF - Yah they
made us lie down in the ground on the dirt and grass. Yah then they
just laid into us.
PE -
Was this at Pete Henderson's farm, Ranwick?
BF - I'm not
really sure. It was all dark. I was lying down in the back of the
Prado.
PE -
Do you know if you drove through a security fence/gate?
BF - I'm not
too sure I was lying down so I couldn't really see anything as I
was lying down. Angela would have a better idea she was sitting
up in the back seat. We were there quite a while. They then put
us back in the car.
PE -
Did you walk or did they throw you in the back.
BF - They threw
us in the back I couldn't move because I was still tied up.
PE -
So they tied you up?
BF - Yah they
tied my arms and legs so I couldn't move at all. Shit it was tight
I couldn't move at all. I couldn't feel my hands because of the
blood circulation. I couldn't feel my hands after five minutes because
of the blood circulation. . . . They then untied us when we got
to Kadoma. We had no idea where we were. They then dropped us on
the tar on the side of the road I managed to go to a house and woke
someone up there. I then managed to get a phone and spoke to Laura.
. . . inaudible
Angela
Campbell Part 1
AC. They made
us sign this thing that we wouldn't proceed with the SADC court
case. If we signed they said they wouldn't kill us. So I did it.
. . .
Doctor speaking
and asks what happened
AC - The Zanu
PF thugs beat us up from three this pm until about 1200 They arrived
at our house.
PE -
Did they run into the house?
AC - Yes. When
Mike came out I was in the Land Cruiser. I was on my way to Laura's.
When I got out the car they grabbed me. There were about 20-30.
Most of them were in the red bakkie which was Kobus's. They just
wrestled me to the ground. Then Mike came out. When Mike came out
they were shouting abuse at him and hit him to the ground. I jumped
out of the car and ran towards him. They then attacked me. They
were beating him with sticks. There were 10 of them that attacked
me.
PE/OR
DR - How old are you Angela?
AC - 66. They
got hold of my arm and ripped it to the side and then chucked me
on the ground. And I knew my arm was injured. Then they shoved us
in the car. Ben arrived just after we had all been trussed up. They
shot at him and just nearly missed him. They then pulled him out
and started beating him.
PE/OR
DR - Was your arm broken?
AC - It feels
like it. It felt like it wasn't attached. . . . inaudible
Nurses and medical
staff intervene and tape inaudible.....
AC - When we
were lying trussed up outside our garage one of them came and piddled
all over my head. After that they pulled me down onto the ground
they pulled me by my hair. I just saw a huge bunch of hair in his
hands.
PE -
Angela where did they take you apparently they were driving you
around?
AC - Well they
were so confused. I don't know whether that Moyo was with them.
I don't know what he looks like. There was one guy quite a burly
sort of chap. Quite a big almost European type nose and he was calling
the shots.
DR - A shortish
sort of guy?
AC - Yah well,
my sort of size but quite well built. Maybe a bit taller. Anyway
he was the one calling the shots
(Ben arrives
and then PE asks Angela)
PE -
Would you be able to recognize him?
AC Yes I had
a got a good look at him because he was shouting and talking to
us a lot. And he was in the car in the passenger seat next to me.
I was in the back passenger seat and I was looking at him all the
way on the journey.
PE -
Where did they take you?
AC - Well first
of all - you know - they took Ben's car to the grid to the entrance
to the farm and parked it across the grid to stop people coming
in. And they just shot it up and totally trashed it. And Bruce said
about 40 shots must have been fired with tyres ripped. And then
they shot out with their two vehicles and our Prado with us in it.
We passed the truck and then they came to a screeching halt near
the main road. Then there was talk as to what they should do. Then
a car came along.
PE -
Were they talking in English or Shona?
AC - Then a
car came along. Mostly Shona but the army guy spoke quite a lot
of English just to try and frighten us. Anyway then Bruce arrived.
And they all jumped off the red truck and dashed into the bush shooting
off bullets and down the road and then there was one gun that looked
like a piece of pipe. It made a funny pump noise not like a shotgun.
The one guy who was using it - he was a nasty character.
Then we shot
off down to Bronkhorst's. Bruce had at this stage appeared. He was
parked at Violetsvale and I think someone else was with him - it
could have been Jason. Anyway they saw this lot - cavalcade of us
coming down with all these guns and they were shooting out the window.
And Bruce and Jason - thank goodness - just took off and these guys
chased them and fortunately Bruce got out of range and then suddenly
we were in the Bronkhorst's and the army guy - he knew the topography
- and he said. [inaudible].and then they screeched to a halt.
They turned
into Bronkhorst's and they said they were going to see Brian with
the Dairy farm - and we drove at a great speed - and I can tell
you it was very scary because Mike and Ben were just chucked into
the back of the Prado and it was terrible for them. Anyway, then
we get to Bronkhorst's. Thank goodness he was not there. I'm not
sure - but it looks as though they might have taken some keys from
the maid because there was some transaction going on - and then
we went and shot out of there to Stockdale turn off - and then left
into the strip road and then they turned around where they were
obviously waiting in ambush for Bruce. And then a whole lot jumped
out of the vehicle into the bush opposite the Stockdale turn off
and they were shooting.
PE -
What, had Bruce came around the corner?
AC - No. I think
they were shooting at anything. I'm not sure about that, but there
were lots of shots. And then that guy George - he was the guy sitting
next to me - a sort of pale character and he was so excited about
shooting at anything.
We then turned
around and right again towards Gadzema. Drove along a bit obviously
looking for Bruce. They were calling this George and then he comes
out of the bush and then he said "I shot that vehicle"
which was obviously Bruce's vehicle and hit it in the wheel tyres.
He said he had shot tyres and they all bundled in and took off at
great speed and turned off the flyover [towards Chegutu] and into
the location and came out over railway line. Turned right down the
station road out onto the national road just a little bit and then
turned right before the police station and went down there.
There is a
road next to the new Concession hill road - we went down there.
We had been going for a couple of kilometers. They then blindfolded
me. They did not want me to know where they were going - and then
we went for ages, I'm sure further than Ranwick. The road was very
rough.
He was actually
going slowly and the trees were hitting the side of the car. And
then we got to this 'pungwe' and were pulled out of the car and
Mike was just chucked on the ground and Ben as well. They untied
me and they did not tie me up again.
And then there
was this fire going. They had stolen all this meat. Bruce had just
shot a beast yesterday - and we had this meat in the fridges in
the house - and there was all this meat being chucked onto the fire
and there was singing and they were talking about the cost of 2
kilograms of meat. And then they bought cold water and poured it
all over us. I was sitting on the ground and they did not - actually
apart from at home - pull me along by my hair and rip my arm. . . .
One guy with a stick mostly punched me on my head.
Anyway, then
after the water, it was ages. We just sat there shivering. Mike
was just moaning. Ben was also terribly tied up. Really sore. We
didn't speak to each other but if we did and spoke, they bashed
you. Then there was one guy who seemed to have a kind streak who
was sitting across the fire. And he told me to come and sit next
to the fire - which was a huge help. So I sat next to the fire.
They were inspecting
my hands and ripped the rings off. And then my engagement ring and
other ring wouldn't come off. This tall thin dark man hit me so
badly across the back and then said "Ag we
will just cut your fingers off." There was a "nanny"
there. I asked her to get some soap and cold water and said you
can get the rings off. She did. They got the rings off.
And then every
now and again - the army guy came and told how we had killed his
ancestors, Mbuya Nehanda and that we had stolen the land and the
usual crap. They went off - a whole group to another fire. And they
started chanting and singing and saying "hondo hondo hondo".
And then they all came back to us and closely packed around us and
then they started ... [doctors come in and PE moves away]...
Angela
Campbell Part 2
PE asks AC to
carry on.
AC We were all
tightly packed and they started to kick and bash Ben. They produced
a hippo hidee sambok - which I recognize as Mike's and they started
beating Ben on the feet and on his back. It was quite a long time
for Ben. And then they put their attention on Mike and told him
to sit up. I don't know what they did to him. I'm not sure. They
bashed him with a sambok and were shouting stupid things at him.
And then there was a guy standing there pointing saying - we must
get into the car. He was speaking in Shona and I didn't really understand
but I picked up a few things.
This army guy
said in English. "We will have to kill them because dead bodies
cannot talk". So that was what the intention was. And there
were other people shouting at us - abusive things at us certainly
but I'm not sure who it was now. I can't remember if it was the
army guy now.
They produced
a sort of note book and blank page and said to Mike - if you sign
to say that you will not go to SADC then we won't kill you. We will
just give you a hard time. So Mike said "ok". His fingers
were badly broken so they handed me the book and I wrote this and
signed my name and ID number. And they were happy with that. Suddenly
the whole thing changed.
. . . nurses
intervene
PE then reminds
Angela she had got to the point of the signed SADC document . . .
AC I left something
out. And at the same time I was told by one guy to sit in a circle
and sing. So I think he was wanting me to sing a Chimurenga song.
So I sang a nursery rhyme at which someone pulled a stick out of
the fire and stuck it on my mouth and that's what burnt my mouth.
It was quite
amazing because there was one guy who was sitting close to the fire
and was sticking up for me - because he rebuked this guy and told
him to stop it and took the stick away from him and threw it in
the fire. And this guy was calling me Madam.
PE -
Did you recognize him?
AC You know
it was so dark. It was just the flames. I don't think I would recognize
him. Anyway, we hear the whole atmosphere change after we signed
that piece of paper and the army guy said they were going to take
us to another place where they were going to kill us and give us
a hard time. We must behave ourselves and not go to the police;
we must not report it to the newspapers otherwise they will come
and get us. They bundled us into the Prado at the back.
It was very
painful for Ben and Mike again because their hands were up against
the hard side bits. Ben had a cut in the side of his head and they
were very, very sore. Anyway they took off on this very rough road
again. And then this man climbed over the back seat right next to
where I was crunched up next to the back seat of the car and started
telling us he was going to Mount Carmel straight after he has dropped
us off. And he was going to find that person who was shooting at
them . . . we said we didn't know.
We then went
for ages and I then started seeing lights from Eiffel Flats. And
then we were in Kadoma. And then another guy climbed over the back
seat where we were lying and undid the ropes for Ben and Mike and
then climbed back over the seat and shortly after that they stopped
on a remote bit of town. We didn't know where it was. And they got
us out of the car and the one guy got out and opened the door and
got us out and just left us on the tarmac. As he closed the door
he turned around and said "Sorry about this". I don't
know whether this was the guy that stopped the guy burning me by
the fire.
We didn't know
where we were actually. Ben said, well there was a house close by
that he went and called and got some response and he was able to
use their phone. And then we just waited for the others to come.
PE Whereabouts
was this in Kadoma?
AC: I would
say on left hand side going to the Ranch somewhere near the Ranch
Hotel area - I couldn't really tell. The houses were quite far apart.
Lots of bush and grass. It was a very long half hour because Mike
was on his hands and knees on the tarmac. Anyway Bruce, Kathy and
Laura arrived.
PE.
They picked you up and took you to Chegutu . . . inaudible . . .
AC Then I presume
Gilbert Moyo wrote out some kind of paper thing about the Prado
- that he is taking it. I said I couldn't see. He said it's about
the Prado. He wants it for four months and if we behave ourselves
and don't go to the police and don't tell newspapers - then I will
bring it back after 4 months. And then I had to sign that as well.
[PE I am sure
the police knew what was going on because I was trying to relay
info around from here and the way the police suddenly packed up
they knew exactly what was going on. He [Ganyani] is the one that
is controlling it]
Audio File
Note:
The gaps of silence in the audio files indicate where the
interview was interrupted, for example by medical staff, or where
the tape is inaudible. Some parts are difficult to hear, and audio
quality particularly deteriorates towards the end of the Angela
Campbell recording.
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