Mugabe Threatens to Repossess Farms

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe has warned that his government will re-possess land from multiple farm owners after the joint March 29 elections in a bid to right the chaos that hit the farming sector after the land reform programme.

"Those who have multiple farms, those quarrelling over a farm, we will address that after the elections as well as giving out leases to regularize what we have given out. We will do some cleaning up," Mugabe told a gathering of cheering supporters at a campaign rally in Inyathi yesterday.

The ruling Zanu-PF's campaign rally was at Sobomvu Secondary School in Inyathi, Matabeleland North province of southern Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe holds harmonized presidential, senate, ward and house of assembly elections on March 29.

President Mugabe will fight for his post against opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader, Morgan Tsvangirai and Simba Makoni, an erstwhile member of the ruling Zanu-PF.

Both Tsvangirai and Makoni in their campaign messages have said once elected into power, they will address land disputes and multiple farm ownership cases.

Mugabe's statements follow last week reports where former white commercial farmers were said to be mulling to file a joint application later this month challenging the seizure of their farms by the Zanu-PF led government at the Southern African Development Community (SADC) tribunal.