38 Human Rights Forum. 46 Here, it should also be pointed out that there were frequent observations by farmers of covert security force participation, and of farm invaders, both settlers and “war veterans”, being overtly paid. On this view, farmers, and especially farm workers, were pawns in a strategy to win elections in 2000 and 2002, but, having won these elections, the final goal of the stratagem, political acceptability, did not materialize, and the Zimbabwe government was forced to continue the strategy as part of a political patronage system and a successful political and propaganda gambit. Whilst it is evident that the consequences of this strategy have been dire for the economy, and Zimbabwe in general, the consequences to the farmers and, more especially the farm workers, have also been extreme. Not only have both groups experienced horrible ill-treatment and abuse, but they have suffered very serious consequent losses in all manner of ways. The evidence demonstrates that human rights violations occurred on a widespread scale, both geographically and in terms of the ranges of persons alleged to have been involved in the perpetration of these violations. The evidence also is strongly suggestive of a systematic campaign, as evidenced by the failure of the police and civilian authorities to enforce the law and offer the protection of the law, as well as the evidence that those who did attempt to enforce the law were intimidated or removed from their duties. Whether this amounts to a crime against humanity will require further research and evidence, as was suggested above, but the prima facie view must be that a plausible case can be made for crimes against humanity being committed during these displacements. As is the case with all human rights violations, there is a compelling need for these to be investigated and the perpetrators to be charged and tried, but, as the Human Rights Forum has pointed out recently, this is a remote possibility in Zimbabwe currently. 47 The Human Rights Forum has in most cases been reduced to civil action and the pursuit of damages for the injuries and insults received by the victims of human rights violations. Here, however, the problem is on such a vast scale that the damages are likely to bankrupt the State, but the fundamental problem remains. Many thousands, and possibly millions of people have had their rights violated, and the issue of redress does not disappear due to the scale of the problem. It most certainly is not 46 47 See again Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum (2001), Politically motivated violence in Zimbabwe 2000–2001. A report on the campaign of political repression conducted by the Zimbabwean Government under the guise of carrying out land reform, HARARE: ZIMBABWE HUMAN RIGHTS NGO FORUM. See again Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum (2006), An Analysis of the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum Legal Cases, 1998–2006. Published by the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum. June 2006, HARARE: ZIMBABWE HUMAN RIGHTS NGO FORUM. A Preliminary Report on Human Rights Violations on Commercial Farms, 2000 to 2005.