Harare - White farmers ordered by courts to leave their land by the end of Tuesday loaded their belongings onto trucks and searched for alternative accommodation, said union leaders.
Nearly 200 farmers have been arrested since Thursday for defying government eviction orders.
Most were freed on bail and told by district courts to pack up and leave or face arrest again, said the Commercial Farmers Union.
Colin Cloete, head of the union representing 4 000 farmers, was among those arrested who appeared in court Monday.
'People are loading up their assets to move out' Cloete, a moderate who led union attempts to negotiate with the government, was ordered to leave his land in the Selous tobacco and corn district, about 70km west of Harare, said district union official Ben Freeth.
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The union president was not immediately available for comment.
Freeth said at least 21 farmers were released on bail on Monday.
"It is a desperately sad situation. People are loading up their assets to move out. Many have nowhere to go and are looking for places to stay," he said.
Of 96 white-owned farms in the district, three were still operating on Tuesday, said Freeth. Most of the displaced farmers owned a single property but were forced off their land despite promises by the government none would be deprived of their only homes or livelihood.
The land seizures are meant to correct the skewed remnants of colonialism "Ethnic cleansing is exactly what it is. There's no other term for it," said Freeth.
Police spokesperson Wayne Bvudzijena said police had arrested 197 farmers across the country for defying government notices to quit their farms by August 9.
The farmers were charged with breaching land laws giving them 90 days from mid-May to wind up their affairs and leave their properties.
"The law is being enforced and court proceedings are to follow," he said.
Most of those released posted bail of between $Z5 000 (about R160) and $Z10 000.
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