Africa-Press – South-Africa. 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
Former 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
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