130 white farmers run off land

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Harare - A Zimbabwe farmers union said on Wednesday more than 130 white farmers had been driven off their land by supporters of President Robert Mugabe and around 30 had not able to return to their farms.

Trevor Gifford, president of the Commercial Farmers Union said at least 134 farmers had been affected by a new wave of farm occupations by hardline supporters of Mugabe amid rising tensions over the results of recent polls.

"The majority of white farmers have been able to return to their farms and continue farming," Gifford said in a statement.

"Regrettably, we cannot say this for all as the remainder are facing a variety of difficult situations."

Around 30 farmers are still trying to get back to their farms, he said adding that intimidation is still rife.

"Some of those who are still on the farms are still facing repeated harassment and abuse despite police intervention. In some cases the police are reluctant to get involved as they indicate that the issue is now political," he said.

Fanning the flames of the land issue

Jabulani Sibanda, the leader of Zimbabwe's so-called war veterans who took part in the country's independence struggle and were at the forefront of land invasions eight years ago, has denied recent recurrences on mostly white-owned farms.

Sibanda said war veterans had merely gone to investigate claims that whites were preparing to "take back the land" after opposition Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai declared he had won the presidential poll.

Mugabe's ruling Zanu-PF has been fanning the flames of the land issue in a bid to discredit Tsvangirai, whom they typecast as a pro-Western stooge planning to resettle the whites.

Zimbabwe launched its controversial and often violent land reforms eight years ago seizing at least 4 000 properties formerly operated by white farmers, and pledging to redistribute them to landless blacks.

An estimated 400 white farmers now remain in the country.

- SAPA