Government calls for veterans to leave farms

The Zimbabwean government has called on war veterans to end their occupation of white-owned farms.

In a statement on Thursday, acting president and chairman of the National Land Acquisition Committee, Joseph Msika, said: "It is our intention to impress upon the demonstrators who have been protesting against the resistance by commercial farm owners to release land for redistribution and resettlement that the reasons for the their demonstrations are well appreciated and understood by both the party (ZANU-PF) and the government."

He added: "However, in light of these recent developments, it is no longer necessary to continue with the demonstration."

Msika told state media that the recent constitutional amendment which allows for land to be seized without compensation "had cleared the way for the orderly redistribution of land largely owned by whites".

Earlier on Thursday, the Zimbabwe High Court rejected an appeal by the police against an earlier ruling that the police must remove the veterans. Judge Moses Hungwe Chinhengo said he urged President Robert Mugabe to "recognise that it is in the permanent interest of Zimbabwe and the rule of law to bring an end to the farm invasions".

Meanwhile, in an interview with the BBC the veterans' leader Chenjerai Hunzvi said that the "court could go to hell" and that the veterans would not give up the land without a fight.