Zimbabwe's white farmers are being forced to stop work in the face of continued threats from self-styled war veterans who have invaded their farms, the Commercial Farmers' Union (CFU) said yesterday. The CFU president, Mr Tim Henwood, denied a report that the union's 4,500 members would close their farms in protest against the invasions. "But I can say that in some areas like Shamva people have been prevented from working and are stopping work as a reaction to a security problem."
Farmers in Shamva, 90 km north of Harare, have been threatened by black militants who have occupied more than 1,000 farms since February with the backing of President Robert Mugabe. Last week the union said 60 farmers in the wheat-producing area of Glendale had stopped farming after one was forced off his property.
The CFU said militants were still threatening farm labourers and giving farmers ultimatums to relinquish their properties or face violence.
On Saturday, police stood by and watched as four labourers were beaten by veterans at a farm near the Zambezi valley, about 220 km north of Harare, farm owner Ms Jane O'Donoghue said.
"They allowed the veterans to pick out four members of our labour force and beat them up," she said. "The situation between our labourers and the veterans is getting more tense."
The CFU said some police officers were trying to respond to land owners' complaints, but were being pressured to side with the invaders, most of whom back Mr Mugabe's ZANU-PF and its promises to seize 800 white-owned farms.
ZANU-PF narrowly defeated the Movement for Democratic Change in an election last month that was marked by violence. Some 31 people, mostly MDC supporters, died in the run up to the poll.