Farmer ‘Beaten to Death’ in Rural Zimbabwe

Harare — One of the last white farmers in the Banket area — about 80km north of Harare — has been murdered. Norwegian-born Ole Sunde, 66, was apparently beaten to death at the weekend, but his family do not know exactly how he died because Zimbabwe no longer has a state pathologist.

On Wednesday his daughter-in-law, who asked not to be named, said that there were signs of struggle in the house, and Sunde was found dead on his bed, covered in bruises.

She said Sunde, who came to Zimbabwe about 30 years ago but carried a Kenyan passport, had hardly been able to farm because of political disturbances in the area, which used to be the top food producing district.