Mike Campbell (farmer)

Mike Campbell
Born	October 12, 1932(1932-10-12) Klerksdorp, South Africa
Died	April 6, 2011(2011-04-06) (aged 78)
Nationality	Southern Rhodesia (1932–1965) Rhodesia (1965–1979) Zimbabwe Rhodesia (1979) Southern Rhodesia (1979–1980) Zimbabwe (1980–2011)
Occupation	Farmer
Known for	Human rights activist; Mike Campbell (Pvt) Ltd and Others v Republic of Zimbabwe; Mugabe and the White African

Michael "Mike" Campbell (12 October 1932 – 6 April 2011) was a white African farmer from the district of Chegutu in Zimbabwe (formerly Southern Rhodesia/Rhodesia). Together with his son-in-law Ben Freeth, he rose to international prominence for suing the regime of Robert Mugabe of violating rule of law and human rights in Zimbabwe, in the case of Mike Campbell (Pvt) Ltd and Others v Republic of Zimbabwe. His struggle was the subject of an award-winning documentary, Mugabe and the White African.

Background

Campbell's family have been farmers in Africa for 300 years.^{[citation needed]} He considered himself to be African.

Mount Carmel

Campbell bought the farm Mount Carmel in 1980, after Zimbabwe's independence. The 3,000-acre farm near Chegutu (Hartley), located 80 miles south-west of Harare, employed around 500 people and was a centre of agriculture, wildlife and tourism. Campbell was an early conservationist, concerned with maintaining the African wildlife.

After Mugabe's invaders took over Campbell's farm, they burnt down the safari lodge and farmstead and killed all the cattle and wildlife on the farm.^[1] Malaria then spread into the region killed 11 workers, and Campbell's pregnant daughter-in-law.^[2] Campbell's hundreds of workers lost their jobs.^[1] Campbell's farm manager and other workers were arrested and tortured by the police after they attempted to defend the farm.^[3]

Death

Campbell died in Harare on 6 April 2011 at home.^[1][4]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} "Obituary – Mike Campbell". The Telegraph. 8 April 2011. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/politics-obituaries/8439131/Mike-Campbell.html. Retrieved 29 June 2011. 
2. ^ Lamb, Christina (23 March 2008). "Zimbabwe: white farmer Mike Campbell mounts last stand over land grab". The Sunday Times. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article3602711.ece. Retrieved 29 June 2011. 
3. ^ Raath, Jan (20 April 2009). "It's an everyday story of country folk. Alas". The Times. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article6128192.ece. Retrieved 29 June 2011. 
4. ^ Dugger, Celia (10 April 2011). "Mike Campbell, Zimbabwean Farmer Who Fought Land Seizure, Dies at 78". NY Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/11/world/africa/11campbell.html. Retrieved 29 June 2011. 

Persondata
Name	Campbell, Mike
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	12 October 1932
Place of birth
Date of death	6 April 2011
Place of death