Govt moves to enforce eviction orders

Up to seven white farmers, who had ignored a government deadline to abandon land targeted for resettlement, were on Thursday served with notices to appear in court. About 2,900 white farmers targeted under the Section 8 Land Acquisition Act had until last Thursday to leave their properties or face a fine of US $375 or two years in jail, or both. But the majority of farmers, about 60 percent, remained on their properties, waiting to see if the government would enforce the order. Justice for Agriculture (JAG) spokeswoman Jenny Williams told IRIN on Thursday that the government had begun to act against farmers who had not obeyed eviction orders. "We've had a report from Matabeleland that six to seven farmers who were under Section 8 notices, have been issued with summons to appear in the magistrate's court tomorrow [Friday] and the charge is violating the acquisition orders," Williams said. JAG was awaiting confirmation that the seventh farmer had been served with a summons. Williams stressed that the farmers were not arrested, merely given notice to appear in court to answer charges. JAG has claimed that since the first state-driven farm invasions began in February 2000, a total of 13 farmers and about 40 farm workers had been murdered and about 70,000 farm workers have been forced into homelessness. Williams said it was possible that news of the summonses served on the Matabeleland farmers could lead others to leave their farms. "We are recommending that farmers sign a warned and cautioned statement, [stating] that they are not doing anything unlawful by farming, they are merely carrying out their livelihood which is earning foreign currency for Zimbabwe and feeding the nation. These seven farmers will defend themselves on that basis in court tomorrow [Friday]," Williams said. Western donors and aid agencies have slammed President Robert Mugabe's fast-track land reform programme saying that the government's haphazard approach to land re-distribution had contributed to the current food crisis in the country. About six million people are in need of food aid in Zimbabwe, according to a report by the World Food Programme (WFP) and Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO). The report said disruptions to farming saw agricultural production drop dramatically. Combined with drought and rising food prices, this left the cash-strapped government unable to buy the stock needed to fill the food gaps.