Shots fired as Zimbabwefamily 'dig in' on their farm
2002-09-10 11:59
Harare - Gunfire was exchanged as about 70 pro-government militants raided a white-owned farm and barricaded the family inside their home in northern Zimbabwe, says the Justice for Agriculture organisation.
No injuries have been reported, but the family remained
barricaded inside the farmhouse as police refused to intervene,
said Jenni Williams, spokeswoman for JAG.
A crowd had gathered late on Monday at Ian Cochran's farm in the northern district of Karoi, and early on Tuesday a truck carrying about 50 people arrived at his home, said Williams.
Two of them were armed with semi-automatic shotguns, while a
third man had a rifle, she said.
The mob attacked the home and dragged out Cochran's mother, who managed to slip away, said Williams.
Cochran, who was in an outlying building on the farm, took his
gun and walked through the crowd to get to the home, she said. A shot was fired as he neared the house, and he responded by firing
into the ground.
Several more shots were fired, and Cochran fired twice in
response, she added.
The incident came two days after the expiry of government
eviction orders for some farmers to leave their land under
President Robert Mugabe's violence-wracked land reform programme. - Sapa-AFP
- SAPA