'Twelve of them stormed the gate. Drunk and aggressive'
Instinctively, I knew another farmer was in trouble.
"Tyres are being burnt around the house."
The epic battle of Thomas Beattie, a Zimbabwean grain farmer, to keep his Umvovo farm made international news.
For months, Beattie and his wife, Sue, have resisted pressure from invaders, the local land authorities and the police to give up their farm.
On Friday, my contact said police folded their arms and watched as a group of about 15 drunken youths tormented the Beatties. They gave them five days to "pack and leave".
My contact - who was there in Chegutu, only 100km southwest of Zimbabwe's capital, Harare - kept me abreast of the unfolding terror.
"Charmaine Beattie barricaded in her house with 10-year-old daughter by mob on Rainbows End farm," read another SMS. Charmaine is Thomas Beattie's daughter-in-law.
In Zimbabwe, few people can afford to talk on their cellphones: calls cost anything up to R10 a minute. So SMSs are used.
Throughout the day the messages continued to come through.
"Bill and Nova Nicholson also been barricaded in by youths dropped off by the lands officer."
The couple own Umfuli Banks farm, in the same troubled Chegutu area. They are among the farmers that a tribunal of the Southern African Development Community ruled were entitled to keep their properties.
In Harare, Zimbabwe's unity government trumpeted its new-found investment-protection success, code named ''Bippa". The much-publicised investment protection and promotion agreement was signed by South African Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies and Elton Mangoma, Zimbabwe's minister of economic planning, on Friday.
Last month, South African citizen Dirk Visagie and his wife Heidi had to fight off land invaders. The irony was that they bought their 42ha Wanted farm from the Zimbabwean government several years ago - but their farm was nevertheless targeted for what the government calls "redistribution".
Though the Visagies are still on their farm, most of their crops have been destroyed.
Since the start of Zimbabwe's "land reform", a decade ago, more than 4000 of the 5000 viable commercial farms owned by whites have been grabbed.
Yesterday morning, I received a desperate SMS from Charmaine Beattie: "12 of them stormed our gate. Drunk and aggressive. "I tried to hold gate closed but they forced it."
Terrified, she ran, chased by the mob. Luckily, she made it to the house. Her husband was out.
"They went around banging on all windows and shouting threats and abuse. My husband arrived about 10 minutes later," said Charmaine.
I didn't know what to say. All I could muster was "This is not right. Keep me posted."
At mid-morning yesterday, her message read: "... we are attempting to pack up, but they continue to threaten ... have now locked us in."
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