SUSAN NJANJI, Harare | Sunday 9.30pm.
ZIMBABWEAN President Robert Mugabe vowed Sunday not to order black squatters off white-owned farms, amid escalating tensions after the murders of two opposition members and a white farmer.
Five other farmers were brutally attacked in towns outside the capital, while several opposition members survived a petrol bomb attack.
At least 50 white farm owners and their families had pulled out of the troubled Marondera district, where the farmer died, into nearby towns for safety.
With the abduction of five others white farmers in the region, Marondera has become a hot spot in the ongoing farm invasions. Two weeks ago, another white farmer was severely beaten in the area.
Speaking as he arrived back from an international summit in Cuba, Mugabe said the occupation of white-owned farms had generally been peaceful.
He denounced Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change’s (MDC), over his calls for international sanctions to force the government to back down on farm occupations.
The occupations of white-owned farms were mere demonstrations by frustrated war veterans, he said, and he would not order their eviction.
The High Court on Thursday urged Mugabe to abide by a court judgement ordering police to evict the squatters. But Mugabe said: “The question of land shall be solved by us, not by the courts.”
Britain’s wish to assist in the land reforms was welcome, but if the aid came with conditions it would not be accepted, said Mugabe. “We do not want to mess up what the war veterans have done so far,” he added.
Mugabe’s comments followed news of the death of farmer David Stevens, shot by pro-government supporters late Saturday near Marondera, southeast of Harare, and the abduction and assault of five others.
Stevens’ death was the first murder of a white farmer since landless black squatters began invading hundreds of white-owned farms in February.
Two MDC members were burnt to death on Saturday night when a petrol bomb was hurled into their car, allegedly by ZANU-PF members, according to opposition officials.
In Britain, Zimbabwe’s High Commissioner (ambassador) Simbarashe Mumbengegwi was summoned on Sunday to a 20-minute meeting with Foreign Office junior minister Peter Hain.
British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook, speaking during a visit to India, said: “This violence is exactly what we feared would be the result of the breakdown of the rule of law in Zimbabwe.” –AFP