The situation in Zimbabwe deteriorates further ...
world.scmp.com
Thursday, August 22, 2002
White farmers go into hiding
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE in Harare
Scores of white Zimbabwean farmers have reportedly fled into hiding to avoid arrest as police continued to crack down on them for defying a government order to leave their farms, police said yesterday.
Police spokesman Wayne Bvudzijena said 215 white farmers had been arrested since the start of last week's crackdown on those who ignored orders by President Robert Mugabe's government to leave their homes and clear the way for black settlers.
The government ordered 2,900 white farmers to leave their homes by August 8, but about 60 per cent of the farmers ignored the demand.
The state-controlled Herald newspaper yesterday reported that police were looking for 179 farmers from western Zimbabwe who had gone into hiding after failing to meet the deadline.
The paper quoted police spokesman Lovemore Sibanda as saying the farmers had either left their wives and children in their homes, or had locked up their houses "hoping to return later".
He said police would arrest the farmers, most of them reportedly from the Umguza and Bubi districts, if they found them.
In a sign of mounting tension, Mr Bvudzijena said a white farmer from Karoi, in northern Zimbabwe, could face a charge of attempted murder after he tried to ram into a police vehicle that had picked up his mother, who is the owner of a farm. The farmer has been remanded on bail.
Farmers' lobby Justice for Agriculture (JAG) says 145 farmers have so far appeared in magistrates' courts around the country.
"JAG would like to recognise the farmers across the country who have come forward to hand themselves in to police stations," JAG spokeswoman Jenni Williams said. She urged farmers to consult their lawyers.
JAG is challenging the constitutionality of the eviction orders, as well as preparing to sue for losses incurred during 29 months of disruptions that have accompanied Mr Mugabe's land redistribution programme.
One farmer won a court victory on August 8, granting a reprieve to thousands of farmers who have mortgages on their land, but that ruling has done little to slow the evictions. |
