Foyle
Farm,
under
Ian
Webster,
was
world-class
and
supplied
a
significant
portion
of
Zimbabwe’s
national
dairy
needs.
However,
the
Mugabe
family
destroyed
the
farm.
Foyle
Farm
was
the
original
name
of
the
property
that
became
the
centrepiece
of
the
Mugabe
family’s
agricultural
empire
in
the
Mazowe
Valley.
Before
its
takeover,
it
was
widely
regarded
as
the
most
advanced
and
productive
dairy
operation
in
Zimbabwe.
The
farm
was
owned
by
Webster,
a
commercial
farmer
who
had
transformed
it
into
a
highly
specialised
world-class
dairy
facility.
It
featured
modern
irrigation
systems,
high-quality
pasture
management,
and
a
sophisticated
milking
parlour
designed
for
high-volume
output.
At
its
peak
under
Webster,
Foyle
Farm
produced
approximately
6.5
million
litres
of
milk
annually.
This
was
a
large
portion
of
Zimbabwe’s
market.
Former
President
Robert
Mugabe’s
wife,
Grace
Mugabe,
took
a
personal
interest
in
the
property
because
of
its
proximity
to
Harare
and
its
established
profitability.
This
happened
amidst
the
violent
land
invasions
in
Zimbabwe,
and
Webster
realised
he
could
not
keep
the
farm.
To
avoid
the
fate
of
many
other
Zimbabwe
farmers,
who
were
evicted
without
receiving
a
cent,
Webster
managed
to
negotiate
a
payout.
After
the
deal
was
done
and
the
Mugabe
family
took
control
of
Foyle
Farm,
they
rebranded
the
operation
as
Gushungo
Dairy
Estate.
Russell
Goreraza,
Grace’s
son
from
her
first
marriage,
became
the
manager
of
Gushungo
Dairy
Estate.
Curiously,
Daily
Maverick
reported,
he
switched
the
main
crop
from
cattle
fodder
to
cabbage.
They
then
had
to
buy
food
for
the
cows.
Gushungo
Estate
was
expanded
by
displacing
commercial
farmers
and
poor
families
from
farms
around
the
estate.
Numerous
reports
suggest
that
Grace
abused
state
resources
to
evict
farm
owners
and
families,
and
even
took
over
the
state-run
Mazowe
Dam.
Death
of
Robert
Mugabe
and
the
collapse
of
Gushungo
Dairy
Estate
Zimbabwe
President
Robert
Mugabe
Despite
the
massive
investment
in
new
machinery,
the
farm
never
reached
the
same
levels
of
efficiency
it
had
under
the
original
ownership.
Without
the
specialised
expertise
required
for
large-scale
dairy
farming,
the
herd’s
health
and
milk
yields
declined
steadily.
Following
Robert’s
death
in
2019
and
the
family’s
loss
of
political
patronage,
the
dairy
empire
has
effectively
collapsed.
By
2022,
Gushungo
Dairy
had
officially
ceased
operations.
Without
state-subsidised
orders
from
the
army
and
hospitals,
it
became
insolvent.
The
company
racked
up
millions
in
debt.
To
settle
its
obligations,
Grace
was
reportedly
forced
to
auction
off
equipment
and
sell
hundreds
of
dairy
cows.
In
2022,
Newsday
Zimbabwe
reported
that
an
official
said
that
there
was
no
activity
on
the
farm.
“Most
of
the
equipment
was
auctioned
away
earlier
this
year,
and
some
of
it
last
year.
This
paints
a
grim
picture
of
a
once
thriving
dairy
farm,”
an
official
said.
“Things
are
not
going
well.
In
fact,
the
Mugabe
family
has
scaled
down
on
operations
at
the
farms.
They
failed
dismally.”
Much
of
the
land
has
now
been
leased
out
to
third-party
businessmen
and
white
commercial
farmers.
The
once-opulent
estate
is
now
in
a
state
of
neglect,
with
the
high-tech
processing
plant
sitting
idle
and
hundreds
of
workers
left
unemployed.
Enhanced
images
of
the
Gushungo
Dairy
Estate
auction
