| Mike Campbell | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 12, 1932 Klerksdorp, South Africa |
| Died | April 6, 2011 (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.
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Campbell's family have been farmers in Africa for 300 years. He considered himself to be African.
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]
Campbell died in Harare on 6 April 2011 at home.[1][4]