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Land grab ploy out of Zanu-PF election manual
David Blair, The Telegraph
April 08, 2008

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/04/08/wzim208.xml

Robert Mugabe's response to his apparent defeat in the first round of Zimbabwe's presidential poll springs directly from the unofficial manual of electioneering pioneered by Zanu-PF.

To guarantee his survival, Mr Mugabe will now rob the whites, beat the blacks and rig the rules in his favour. These methods saved him from oblivion after he lost a referendum in February 2000. Everything indicates that Mr Mugabe is now resorting to them once again.

Robbing the whites is well under way. The white farmers have been reduced to a rump of about 200, almost all of whom own only portions of their previous land.

This last handful has now been singled out, with organised invasions overwhelming at least 20 farms. The aim is to offer white-owned land as a reward for supporting Mr Mugabe.

But all Zimbabweans know that the land grab was largely completed five years ago. In 2000, Zimbabwe had about 4,000 white farmers. By 2003, that total had fallen to its present level.

So Mr Mugabe is now trying a new propaganda line. He claims that unless he stays in power, white farmers will return and reclaim their property, evicting any blacks who were settled on their land.

"There have been widespread reports of white former farmers flocking back into the country," claimed The Herald, a state newspaper, yesterday.

Mr Mugabe has urged Zimbabweans to "safeguard their land" and said: "The land is ours, it must not be allowed to slip back into the hands of whites."

Reinforcing this battle-cry are the veterans of the war against white rule, who led the first farm invasions in 2000. They will be used to assault, torture, rape or murder any blacks who oppose Mr Mugabe, in accordance with the second chapter of Zanu-PF's manual.

As for rigging the vote, the law requires that Mr Mugabe must face the election's second round by April 19. He may decide that he needs more time.

Fortunately, under the Presidential Powers Act, passed as a "temporary measure" in 1986, he can amend any law at will. He may employ this device to delay a second round for weeks or months.

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