Political solution awaited

Presidential spokesman Mundaradzi Hwenijwere said the solution to the land problem was political rather than the police enforcing an 18 March court order to evict the squatters. "That would in fact unleash more violence. You can't take thousands of people off (the farms) just like that, knowing the history and sensitivity of the issue."

He told IRIN that most of the farms that have been occupied had been targeted for acquisition by the government. The government had earlier earmarked five million hectares for resettlement by landless black Zimbabweans out of the 12 million hectares reportedly owned by white commercial farmers. The courts ruled against the bulk of the farms designated as the government had not followed proper procedure, leaving just 120 listed farms out of some 1,500 the government had originally wanted to takeover.

The ruling ZANU-PF dominated parliament on Thursday voted for an amendment to the constitution that would allow the government to expropriate farms, paying only for improvement to the property rather than the land itself. "The government has said let's solve this politically. The way forward is the amendment and then a political solution can be undertaken for the whole
land issue," Hwenijwere said. He added an act of parliament would follow the amendment outlining the conditions for requisition.