IRIN Focus on growing farm violence

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] A white farmer was shot and killed and two opposition activists died at the weekend when a petrol bomb was thrown into their car as tensions heightened over the occupation of some 600 white-owned farms by independence war veterans and their followers, police said on Monday. Despite what analysts called the worst violence since the farm occupations started in February, President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe said that he would not order war veterans and their followers off white-owned farms. In remarks to a rally of several hundred supporters of his ruling ZANU-PF party hours after the killings, Mugabe looked defiant as he told a cheering crowd on his return on Sunday from a summit meeting in Cuba: "I know that there is an expectation that I will say to the war veterans, 'get off the land'. But I will not say or do that." Mugabe's remarks contradicted a statement by Vice-President Joseph Msika ordering an end to the farm occupations, following a second court ruling ordering police to evict the squatters. As acting president during Mugabe's absence last week, Msika said the amendment of clause 16 of Zimbabwe's constitution and planned talks in coming days with the British government had created a climate for dialogue. "In the light of these recent developments, it is now no longer necessary to continue with the demonstrations," he said. Mugabe also said he would not condemn the attacks on white farmers who should accept the consequences if they resisted the seizure of their lands. Mugabe is expected to make further remarks on the issue in a state-of-the-nation address on Monday night ahead of the country's 20th anniversary of independence from Britain on Tuesday. The government has said it will keep the anniversary a low-key affair. The killings In the weekend violence, two members of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) died after petrol bombs were thrown into their car at Buhera on Saturday, a town near Rusape some 150 km southeast of the capital, Harare. Police identified one of the victims as Tichaona Chiminya, the chauffeur of MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai. The other victim was a woman whose name was not released pending notification of her family. Independent newspapers described the killings as politically motivated. According to accounts in the press, the farmer David Stevens, a commercial farmer and father of four, was shot and killed on Saturday by alleged war veterans near his tobacco and cattle farm in Murehwa, about 100 km east of Harare. Earlier in the day, Stevens had apparently sought the help of four neighbouring farmers in a bid to resist the occupation of his land, 'Virginia Farm'. The director of Commercial Farmers Union (CFU), David Hasluck, told IRIN the police had failed to take action when Stevens sought their help. One of the survivors, speaking on national television from his hospital bed, said he and the others who had gone to Stevens aid, had been beaten up. "His body was later thrown on top of us while we were lying in a van," said Steve Krynauw. "They shot and killed him." The state-run television said the farmers had been attacked after trying to ambush war veterans in a nearby township. Police spokesman, Chief Superintendent Wayne Bvudzijena said 12 veterans had been injured and hospitalised after being assaulted on Stevens farm. He said the farmer had been carrying a firearm. "We are investigating what happened at the farm," he said. Police declined to disclose whether any arrests had been made in either of the incidents. A legal showdown As the MDC and independent media on Monday accused the government of flouting the rule of law by failing to instruct police to abide by the court orders, the CFU told IRIN it was taking action to seek the arrest of Chenjerai Hunzvi, a Polish-trained medical doctor who is chairman of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association. Hunzvi, who has nicknamed himself "Hitler", is currently on bail on separate charges that he defrauded the state-run War Victims Compensation Fund. The CFU said it had sought to have the bail conditions restricting him to the Harare district relaxed so that he could urge an end to the farming crisis. Instead, Hasluck told IRIN, he had encouraged the invasions. "We have made a court application to seek his arrest and imprisonment, and the hearing is scheduled on Wednesday," Hasluck said. "We are very conscious of not exacerbating this situation and handling it in calm, and in the proper legal manner in terms of the law of the country. I have a responsibility to our members to seek whatever protection we can through the courts. We do not want any violence and we believe this whole matter can be resolved peacefully, legally and democratically. We are looking forward to a peaceful election in Zimbabwe next month." In widely reported remarks last Friday, Hunzvi accused the judiciary of protecting white interests: "The judiciary system of this country must be revamped. It is not for the people of Zimbabwe, it is for the white man." In his opposing affidavit to the CFU application, he has denied flouting the law or the terms of his bail conditions. He told a news conference, "you are going to see more invasions, and I don't mince my words. More invasions will be taking place - and serious ones." The farming disruption Hasluck said the farm occupations had disrupted farming, and that the debate over the land issue had been "misrepresented". After visiting the scene of the Stevens shooting on Sunday, he said: "Despite this, we are taking a longer-term view. We are seeking to get those farmers to return to their land. We believe that we are facing a situation that can return to normal. If President Mugabe tells them to get off the land, they will leave." He said the outlook for farming in Zimbabwe was serious because many farmers did not want to take the risks of committing themselves to planting and harvesting for fear of losing their properties or their output to the occupiers. "These people out at the farms are led by the veterans but they are mostly members of the ZANU-PF youth wing. With Vice-President Msika's statement, we had hoped for an end to this. But our members are again worried at President Mugabe's rhetoric," he said. Analysts said the invasions, combined with the controlled exchange rate threatened the delivery to auction floors later this month of tobacco, which nets a third of the country's annual hard currency earnings. The 'Financial Gazette' reported that the country's hard cash crisis had worsened over the past week with foreign currency reserves now at their lowest level ever as the country battles to pay creditors and donors cut funding. It quoted a senior banking official as saying the reserves were currently down to one day's import cover. Concern at how funds were being allocated had already prompted the international lending agencies, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) last year to put millions of dollars of financial aid for Zimbabwe on hold. The farm invasions followed the rejection of a new constitution by referendum which would have allowed the government to seize the land without compensation. The defeat was the most serious blow to Mugabe in 20 years of rule, and indicated declining support for his ruling ZANU-PF party. Mugabe, who faces a presidential election in 2002, has endorsed the invasions, but insisted he did not order them.