Following the shooting to death of prominent white Zimbabwean tobacco farmer Kobus Joubert in what police are calling an armed robbery in his home, the Commercial Farmers Union says ZANU-PF activists are stepping up intimidation and evictions of white farmers and their workers in a “renewed onslaught” ahead of anticipated 2011 elections.
The Commercial Farmers Union in a statement Wednesday also criticized the Southern African Development Community for failing to resolve issues long troubling the Harare government, predicting a “pre-election terror campaign.”
"The refusal of police to act against the intimidation, threats, violence, evictions and occupations signals the start of a renewed onslaught against rural communities in the build up to next year's elections," the CFU statement said.
It said SADC should take measures to make sure the next elections are not accompanied by
But Pretoria-based political analyst George Mkhwanazi told VOA Studio 7 reporter Ntungamili Nkomo that there is very little the Southern African regional body can do to change the volatile situation in Zimbabwe.