White farmers granted bail

Twenty-one farmers charged with inciting public violence after clashes with war veterans occupying their farms have been granted bail by the Zimbabwean High Court, reports said on Monday. The men had been in jail since their arrest on 6 August near the northern town if Chinhoyi. Justice Rita Makarau, sitting in Harare, overturned a Chinhoyi magistrate’s decision not to grant bail and ordered that the farmers be released on conditional bail. “I am of a slightly different opinion. I believe with the right conditions and the time lapse, bail can be granted. Accordingly I will grant bail in this matter,” Makarau was quoted as saying. Reports said that Makarau set stringent bail conditions including paying Zim $100,000 (US $1,960), a surety of another Zim $100,000 and the surrender of their passports to the police. The farmers have also been banned from returning to Chinhoyi for at least another four weeks, and must report to the police every Friday.