Harare - At least 40 white families have fled rising violence on their farms in north-western Zimbabwe, where some farmers were arrested this week after clashes with militants occupying their properties.
Farming officials said pro-government militants had gone on a rampage of assault, looting and arson, and that one farmer, Gel Binhuis, and his family were being held hostage on his farm after his dogs were killed.
They said the violence was taking place around the town of Chinhoyi, 120km north-west of Harare, where more than 20 white farmers, charged with inciting public violence after clashes on a white-owned farm, returned to court on Thursday to press for bail.
Continues Below ↓
"We are getting distress signals from all around Chinhoyi: people reporting beatings, property being set on fire, property being stolen and people having to escape," said one official, who declined to be named.
| 'There is trouble out there' |
"There is trouble out there. Some 13 families were forced to flee (on Wednesday), and (by Thursday) about 90 percent of farmers in the Boma area and their families had also fled," he said. This represents about 30 of the 33 farmers in the area.
A police official in Chinhoyi said police had been deployed to farms in the area to stabilise the situation.
Farming officials said the political temperature remained high around the courthouse in Chinhoyi, where more than 20 white farmers were in the dock this week.
Hundreds of youths from President Robert Mugabe's ruling Zanu-PF party sang and chanted anti-white slogans outside.
"The farmers were brought back to court this morning the same way they came yesterday, through the back door, in a truck under heavy police guard and in handcuffs," one farmer said.
The prosecutor has listed 21 farmers as having been charged, although 23 names were initially given by police.
The Chinhoyi Magistrate's Court remanded the farmers in custody, saying time had run out to consider their bail application.
The farmers were arrested for allegedly assaulting supporters of Mugabe on Monday on a farm occupied by so-called "war veterans" backed by the government. Mobs of militants staged retaliatory attacks on whites on Tuesday. - Reuters
|
StumbleUpon
Reddit
Digg
Delicious
Newsvine
Facebook
muti
Twitter
