Masvingo farmer in hiding after assault and threat of arrest

A Masvingo farmer who was assaulted and taken hostage for several hours by a
group of suspected ZANU PF supporters last week, is now in hiding after a
warrant for his arrest was issued hours after the attack against him.

Johannes Nel, a commercial cattle farmer in Gutu, was last Friday attacked
by gang of invaders who first raided his property before launching a vicious
assault on him. He was then bundled into a truck and taken hostage for
almost six hours before being dumped on the roadside about 80km away from
his farm. Despite being badly injured and in serious need of medical
attention, a local magistrate issued a warrant for Nel's arrest mere hours
after the attack, forcing the farmer into hiding.

Nel is just one of many of the country's remaining commercial farmers now in
hiding as the fresh wave of farm invasions continues unabated. More than a
100 farmers, arrested for refusing to leave their productive farms, are now
facing prosecution, with at least one farmer's case already being fast
tracked through the legal system. In Karoi, farmer Andrew Herbst was
sentenced to six months' in prison, suspended on condition that he vacated
his property within seven days.

At the same time, many farmers are now living in makeshift camps on
roadsides after being physically forced off their land, in what Justice for
Agriculture's (JAG) John Worsley-Worswick on Tuesday called 'intensified
attacks'. Worsley-Worswick told SW Radio Africa that invasions and arrests
have continued on almost a daily basis, and explained that "there has been a
profound escalation of attacks" in recent weeks.

The fresh invasions have previously been linked to ZANU PF loyalists
determined to continue the Mugabe initiated land-grab, before the power
share government can intervene. But Worsley-Worswick on Tuesday explained
there is a more sinister motive behind the attacks. He argued that the
sudden rush of farm evictions have come at the same time a probe has been
launched into the use of the R300 million agricultural input package from
South Africa.

There have been justifiable fears that the agricultural rescue package has
been completely squandered for the personal benefit of ZANU PF officials, as
most of the farming inputs included in the package, including seed,
fertisliser and machinery, have been hoarded in urban areas by what
Worsley-Worswick called "the ZANU PF political hierarchy."

"With a probe under way into how the farming inputs have been used, it is
essential the hierarchy finds productive farms to show off,"
Worsley-Worswick explained. "These officials have also been able to afford
to pay off thugs to do the dirty work and get rid of the farmers."

The revelation also comes as a delegation from the International Monetary
Fund (IMF) is in Zimbabwe to investigate the possibility of resuming
financial relations with the country. The appearance of productive farms,
owned and run by the government is therefore critical to ensure that money
starts flowing into Zimbabwe again, as was laid out by the conditions of the
power share agreement that ushered in the unity government. The remaining
commercial farms are therefore obvious targets for invasions, as the farms
owned by government officials or handed over to land-grab beneficiaries are
completely barren and unproductive.

Meanwhile, an official at the South Africa-Zimbabwe Joint Permanent
Commission for Cooperation being held in Victoria Falls has said Zimbabwe
needs to "guarantee the protection of private investments," such as land, if
the economy is to recover quickly. This is according to South Africa's
Business Day newspaper, which reported this week that "by being seen to be
bringing an end to the violent invasion of farmland, SA believed that
Zimbabwe would bring political stability and 'reduce the lack of trust' in
the new power-sharing government by foreign and regional donors."

Zimbabwe Supreme Court grants Bennett bail

Supreme Court Chief Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku has upheld a High Court
decision, granting Roy Bennett bail. The decision was made on Wednesday
after the judge had heard arguments from both the prosecution and defence
teams the previous day.

The State had appealed in the Supreme Court against the granting of bail to
the MDC Deputy Minister of Agriculture designate, saying he was a flight
risk. Prosecutors had also recommended tighter bail conditions if the judge
decided to rule against their appeal.

The Chief Justice ruled against the state prosecutors saying they had no
grounds to oppose a previous High Court ruling ordering Bennett's release.

However, Justice Chidyausiku increased the bail payment from US$2000 to
US$5000, ordered Bennett to surrender title deeds and report to the police
three times a week. The State had wanted him to report everyday.

The MDC politician who has been in custody since February 13th is now
expected to be released from prison on Thursday. His lawyers said the
paperwork was going to be sent to the Mutare magistrates' court from Harare,
where he will post his bail payment with the clerk of court in the morning.

Last Wednesday Bennett's lawyers in Mutare successfully posted bail of US$2
000 and surrendered his passport after being granted bail by the High Court.
But prison officials disappeared with his release papers on the night of
posting bail and the Magistrate who accepted Bennett's bail payment and
documents was arrested the following day. Magistrate Livingstone Chipadze
who was released on bail on Saturday is being charged with criminal abuse of
authority.

Although wary about their reception in Mutare, Bennett's lawyers are hopeful
that this time around their client will be released, since the order is
coming from the country's highest court.

Meanwhile Claire Ingram, a woman who transported Bennett from his house to
the airport on the day he was arrested, was briefly detained herself on
Tuesday after a lengthy interrogation. Bennett who is facing weapons
charges denies the allegations of plotting to overthrow Robert Mugabe.

First two of 16 MDC detainees freed on bail

Two of 16 political prisoners held by
Zimbabwean authorities for up to five months and allegedly subjected to
torture have been released on bail, their lawyers said Sunday. Fidelis
Chiramba, a 72-year-old local Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) activist
who developed cardiac failure following his arrest in October, and Broderick
Takawira, a programme officer with a respected local NGO, were freed
Saturday, said lawyer Andrew Makoni.

The release of the detainees follows an undertaking made by
President Robert Mugabe last week to MDC leader and Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai.

The detainees were abducted by state secret police and held in
secret locations for three months before being handed over to police.

Their release has become one of the key sources of dispute
within the three-week-old coalition government, and repeatedly threatened to
derail the agreement as Mugabe and his officials stalled and mounted
obstructions in the face of an international outcry.

Charges of "insurgency, banditry and sabotage" or of setting off
bombs in police station were pressed against them, after they had been in
illegal custody for four months. They were all tortured to force them to
sign fake confessions, lawyers said.

Makoni said hoped another 11 would be released on Monday. Bail
of 600 US dollars had already been raised for them, but lawyers were now
searching for a 20,000-dollar surety for each against their property,
demanded by state lawyers.

"Most of them are impecunious, they don't have any property and
don't have access to money like that. So we are going to ask the court
tomorrow to revise the bail conditions," Mukoni said.

He also hoped that the supreme court would this week reverse
lower court rulings denying bail for the remaining three, including
journalist Andrison Manyere and Gandhi Mudzingwa, one of Tsvangirai's key
aides.

The deal excludes white farmer Roy Bennett, Tsvangirai's popular
deputy agriculture minister designate who was arrested on similar charges on
February 13 shortly before he was due to be sworn in with the other 61
ministers and their deputies in the new power-sharing administration.

MDC officials confirmed that on Friday Tsvangirai met Mugabe to
demand an explanation why his undertaking of a week ago to release the
prisoners, of the detainees, had not yet been carried out.

Mugabe immediately summoned justice minister Patrick Chinamasa
to the meeting and instructed him to release them.

At a meeting soon after between state and defence lawyers, the
detainees' lawyers agreed to the stiff bail conditions.

They also said that the state was demanding that as part of
their release conditions, the detainees also promise to withdraw charges
laid against security agents for illegal arrest and torture.

Beatrice Mtetwa, head of the defence team, would not say Sunday
if this condition had been agreed to. "We will let you know when they have
been released. I don't want to jeopardise their case," she said.

All of the 16 men and women were subjected to prolonged and
severe torture, according to affidavits from them presented to court,
including being beaten at length on the soles of their feet, half- drowning,
electroshock, being hung upside down by their feet for and being locked in a
freezer for hours on end.