Cops break up farmers' meeting
2003-11-28 20:13
Harare - Police broke up a meeting of displaced white farmers and detained at least four of their leaders for questioning, the group's lawyer said on Friday.
More than 100 white farmers gathered at an agricultural research institute north of Harare to discuss legal implications of the government's seizure of thousands of white-owned farms for redistribution to blacks.
Police accused organisers of convening a public meeting without notifying them - an offence punishable by up to six months in jail under strict security laws - according to their lawyer, Beatrice Mtetwa. Those at the meeting were ordered to disperse, witnesses said.
The meeting was organised by Justice for Agriculture, an association of farmers thrown off their property under the controversial land programme.
The group is demanding that the government pay them realistic compensation or return their land.
The head of the group, John Worsely-Worswick, was held for questioning at Harare's main police station along with three other officials and a prominent lawyer, said Mtetwa.
Police spokesperson Wayne Bvudzijena declined to comment on the arrests, saying he was awaiting details from provincial police officers.
The farm seizures have crippled Zimbabwe's agriculture-based economy, leaving the country with acute shortages of food, petrol, medicine and other imports.
The World Food Programme estimates more than 5.5 million people - almost half the population - will need food aid to avert famine in coming months.
Many prime farms seized by the government went to ruling-party leaders. Others lie idle because of shortages of fertiliser, seeds and plowing equipment.
The state's District Development Fund said on Friday that 13 000 functioning tractors remained in the country.
At least 40 000 were needed for plowing ahead of upcoming rains, the fund said, but many had been destroyed during the often-violent land seizures since February 2002.
- AP