Harare - A white farmer was shot dead near his homestead early on Monday, apparently while trying to escape an attack by ruling-party militants, a farm community spokesperson said.
It was the first attack on a white farmer since Robert Mugabe was re-elected last week in a presidential election marred by violence and charges of vote rigging.
Commercial Farmers' Union spokesperson Jenni Williams said Terry Ford of the farm Gowrie, about 40km southwest of Harare, was found shot through the head.
"There is evidence of a bullet exit wound from the head," she said.
Police spokesperson Wayne Bvudzijena confirmed that Ford had been murdered, but said he had no further details. "Our men are on the ground right now investigating," he said.
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Ford was the 10th white farmer to be killed since landless blacks began with government sanction to seize white-owned farms two years ago.
Williams said Ford was alone on his farm and called for help early on Monday, saying he was being threatened by farm settlers and veterans of the former Rhodesia's 1970s liberation war.
"Mr Ford contacted police and neighbours, but he did not get much help because some of his neighbours have moved out of the area. He was alone in his home and he said he would remain vigilant," Williams said.
"At 6am this morning his domestic worker reported for duty and discovered his body lying next to a tree outside the house. There is evidence that Mr Ford was trying to drive out of the farm," she added.
Williams said there was no immediate word on what led to the killing.
The government accuses the Commercial Farmers Union, which mainly represents whites, of using the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) as a front for its effort to maintain white economic dominance.
About 20 000 commercial farms have been abandoned by white owners or are occupied by black settlers.
Mugabe said at his inauguration on Sunday he had delivered "a stunning blow" to Britain and said he would accelerate the seizure of white-owned farms for redistribution to landless blacks.
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