ZIMBABWE’S President Robert Mugabe is expected to launch the election manifesto of his ruling ZANU-PF party on Wednesday. The manifesto, dominated by the African nation’s land crisis, is to be launched before the date for parliamentary elections is known. Mugabe chaired a weekly cabinet meeting on Tuesday where the land crisis was discussed and the election date was fixed, government sources said. The party manifesto will be launched under the theme “land is the economy, the economy is land”. The pre-election period has been marked by political violence and the occupation of up to 1000 white-owned farms by so-called veterans of Zimbabwe’s war of independence from Britain 20 years ago. At least 12 people have died in violence linked to the occupation of the farms over the past two months and clashes between political movements. Mugabe has backed the farm invasions, saying the squatters are simply reclaiming land stolen by colonialists. On Saturday, the government announced that Mugabe would begin using powers granted him under the Presidential Powers Act to begin seizing white-owned farms within weeks.