The leader of the main opposition party in Zimbabwe has accused President Robert Mugabe of cynical electioneering in his support for black squatters who have occupied white-owned farms. Morgan Tsvangirai, of the Movement for Democratic Change, said that Zimbabwe is a multi-racial society and that Mr Mugabe's backing for land seizures is dividing the nation. He called on the President to stop the actions, saying that he was using the issue for his own political ends.
However, invasions of Zimbabwe's white-owned farms are expected to gather pace again after the passage of President Mugabe's new law allowing the state to seize land without payment. Most of Zimbabwe's 4,500 large farm are owned by whites. About 800 have been taken over, originally in a campaign to press for a constitutional change telling farmers that if they want compensation for confiscated land, they should seek it from the former colonial power, Britain. With the change now passed, a new wave of invasions is expected in the run-up to Independence Day on April 18 and parliamentary elections that were postponed from April to May.
