|
'Last white famers' go on trial
11/10/2007 15:38 - (SA)
Chegutu - Eleven of Zimbabwe's last white farmers will go on trial for defying a government eviction after they lost a bid to stay on their land pending the outcome of an appeal.
Magistrate Tinashe Ndokera dismissed an application by the farmers from the north western Mashinaland west province to challenge the law evoked to order their evictions as "a delaying tactic".
Ndokera said: "Despite being served with eviction notices they took no action, but decided to ignore them, only to raise issues after the expiry and after appearing in court facing criminal charges.
"I am persuaded to agree with the state prosecutor that it's a delaying tactic and there is no seriousness, but a mere attempt to buy time through abuse of process.
Prosecutor Blackson Matemba said: "The state will proceed with prosecution." The farmers' lawyer David Drury said he would appeal against the ruling in the supreme court.
The farmers who were given a September 30 ultimatum to vacate their properties were summoned to a magistrate's court in Chegutu, 100km northwest of Harare, last week to answer charges of breaching the Gazette Land Consequential Provisions Act after their land was earmarked for expropriation.
Less than 400 white farmers were still believed to be operating as a result of the land reform programme, which had been blamed for Zimbabwe's decline in farming production - a key factor in the country?s economic meltdown.
|
News
Zimbabwe Special Report
