Veterans ordered to leave white-owned farms

The High Court in Zimbabwe gave ex-guerrilla fighters 24 hours on Friday to leave white-owned farms they have occupied across the country for the last three weeks.

The Commercial Farmers’ Union obtained a High Court interdict invalidating the widespread land invasions. But even as Justice Paddington Garwe handed down his ruling, news reports said another 20 farms had been seized bringing to nearly 650 the number of farms illegally occupied.

President Robert Mugabe earlier publicly endorsed the invasions, and said he would not order police to act against the veterans. The official state newspaper, ‘The Herald’, explaining the court order, said police officers had now been told to evict the occupiers: “All the parties involved in the matter agreed that the action was unlawful and that all people who have occupied any commercial farms or ranches since 16 February in pursuit of any claim to a right to occupy that property should vacate the land within 24 hours.”