Police evict land invaders
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
Police here have begun forcibly to evict dozens of self-styled war veterans
occupying a white-owned farm, with one defiant group detained this week.
11.11.1105:25pm
by Chief Reporter
Officers set on fire the makeshift dwellings at Chikore Farm south of the
Masvingo city, after ordering the more than 70 occupiers to remove their
belongings and evacuate.
This has been the first serious move against the war veterans amid
continuing farm invasions.
The police action was reportedly ordered by the co-ministers of Home Affairs
ministers, Theresa Makone and Kembo Mohadi.
More than 4,000 farms have been invaded since President Robert Mugabe began
the controversial land “reform” programme a decade ago.
“We have received instructions to be more strict with former fighters who
refuse to obey government orders,” a police officer who sought anonymity
told reporters.
However, it was not clear how long the eviction process would continue or
whether it would be extended across the country.
Those rounded up have been detained at Masvingo Remand Prison.
No action has yet been taken anywhere else, although a large number of the
occupied farms are not on the official list for acquisition. Police have
previously ignored several court orders to evict the squatters.
Informed sources say Higher and Tertiary Education Minister Stan Mudenge was
also interested in the farm, previously owned by whiter commercial farmer,
Peter Buchan. On Wednesday about 70 squatters were driven off the farm near
Great Zimbabwe, a tourist resort about 20km from Masvingo amid spirited
remonstrations.
The evictions continued on Thursday as police continued demolishing several
makeshift homes in the vicinity of the farm.
In recent weeks, President Robert Mugabe has come under increasing pressure
to restore law and order in farming districts, which are the backbone of
Zimbabwe’s economy.
Mugabe has said that war veterans will only be allowed to remain on those
farms acquired by the government, ending the uncertainty in the rest of the
agricultural sector.