Posted on 06/28/2002 3:50:45 AM PDT by Clive
The Zimbabwe government has slammed white farmers who defied orders to cease operations by midnight on Monday, saying they were "unrepentent racists and fascists" bent on attracting attention at the ongoing G8 summit in Canada, the state-run Herald newspaper reported on Thursday.
"The CFU (Commercial Farmers Union) action is a racist and fascist approach of wanting to continue white dominance in this country," Lands Minister Joseph Made told the paper in an interview.
"They are playing to the gallery while we are trying to create a harmonious community of farmers," Made said in the interview published on Thursday.
Many of the 2,900 white farmers who were supposed to have stopped farming on Monday under a new land law which came into effect on May 10, defied the order, according to the CFU.
President Robert Mugabe's ruling Zanu-PF party said in a statement published on Thursday in The Herald that the farmers' defiance of government orders to stop farming, to pave the way for resettlement of blacks on their land, was British-sponsored propaganda, aimed at bringing Zimbabwe to the fore at the G8 summit in Canada where the New Patnership for Africa's Development (Nepad) is to be debated.
"The CFU and its British sponsors should not believe their own propaganda that they can defy the government," said Zanu-PF.
It also warned that the CFU could face a ban if it continued with the defiance.
"If the CFU... continues to threaten lawlessness, that will make it necessary for the ruling party to use its parliamentary caucus to deregister the CFU," the party said.
But Information Minister Jonathan Moyo said that, contrary to reports, many farmers had complied with the order. A few who had problems had resorted to legal action, he said, adding "we do not believe that going to court is defiance".
Two farmers have launched legal challenges to seek more time to allow them to wind up operations at their farms.
Farmers face up to two years' imprisonment or a Z$20,000 (about R3,700) fine for contravening the law.
White farms have been the scene of politically charged unrest since February 2000, when pro-government militants forcibly invaded the land.
Since then, 12 farmers have died while tens of thousands of their workers have lost their jobs, been displaced and attacked by the militants. - Sapa-AFP
What about the Brits? I wonder how this is playing in their media. No, I don't expect Dubya to slam this tyrant, he doesn't want to appear racist, lol.
Oh, no, farmers are still growing food! In the begginnings of a famine caused mostly by not enough farmers growing food, at that. How dare they attempt to feed hungry people!
At this point, sarcasm seems the only recourse.
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