Mugabe cold shoulders farmers
Posted Thu, 20 Apr 2000
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has chaired a meeting between war veterans and representatives of the Commercial Farmers' Union, but failed to give assurances that squatters will be evicted from white-owned farms.
The war veterans are spearheading the illegal occupation of white-owned farms, apparently at the incitement of Mugabe, who earlier lost a referendum to give him more powers to seize white-owned farms.
As lawlessness continued across the land, two women were raped and a man assaulted in an attack on a farm near the Harare international airport.
The attacks come on the heels of the murders of two farmers by the farm squatters in the past week.
Meanwhile the Zimbabwean high court convicted Chenjerai Hunzvi, the leader of the veterans, of contempt for inciting farm invasions after they had been declared illegal. He was given until May 3 to prove that he actively sought to end the invasions.
The opposition in Zimbabwe has said Mugabe is seeking excuses to declare a state of emergency and postpone the election. Critics say that Mugabe's controversial land policy is aimed at satiating the majority poor in exchange for votes in the election.