Mugabe firm on farming crisis

President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe has reaffirmed that there will be no immediate withdrawal of independence war veterans occupying more than 600 white-owned farms across the country. Speaking on state television late Wednesday after meeting separately with leaders of the veterans and the Commercial Farmers Union CFU), he said: "There will be no withdrawal in the meantime. I am happy that these meetings were held. It has created an atmosphere of understanding even though there may not have been the necessary solution on both sides." Just before the meeting, Chenjerai Hunzvi, a Polish-trained medical practitioner who is chairman of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association, was found guilty of contempt of court for disregarding a judge's order on 17 March to refrain from encouraging the farm invasions. In passing sentence, the judge said he would give Hunzvi a "last chance" as leader of the veterans association to help resolve the crisis in which two farmers were killed in recent days. He was also ordered to provide a written affidavit by 3 May outlining what steps he had taken to comply with the court order. Speaking to reporters outside the courtroom, Hunzvi said the ex-combatants were now only listening to Mugabe himself. But he said he would lead a team on a countrywide visit to occupied farms to urge an end to the occupations. "I regret the deaths. The killings were unfortunate," Hunzvi said. "War is not yet there, it is not yet declared." When asked whether he would order the veterans and their followers off the farms, he added: "My personal view cannot determine what is going to happen." Meanwhile, the CFU told IRIN it had started evacuating farmers from occupied lands in the southern Matabeleland Province following the shooting of a farmer on Tuesday at a property outside the country's second city, Bulawayo.