Zimbabwe land seizures 'illegal'

Mr Mugabe aims to 'resolve' land issue next year

The highest court in Zimbabwe has - for the second time this year - ruled that the government's controversial programme of seizing land from white farmers is unconstitutional.

Crimes have been and are being committed with impunity

Court ruling

The court said the government had persistently broken the law in farming districts since ruling party militants were allowed to occupy hundreds of white-owned farms.

"Wicked things have been done and continue to be done. They must be stopped. Common law crimes have been and are being committed with impunity," the Supreme Court said in its ruling.

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has already made it clear that he does not regard himself as bound by decisions made by the court.

Previous court orders to force police to remove illegal occupiers from farms and restore law and order have been ignored by the government.

The Court had been asked to rule on the issue by the Commercial Farmers' Union. which represents some 4,000 white farmers.

Seizures

More than 1,600 mostly white-owned farms have been invaded by ruling party supporters and more than 30 people have died in political violence linked to the campaign.

Many white farmers have fled their occupied farms

The head of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Mark Malloch Brown, recently wrote to President Mugabe insisting that the government respect the rule of law if Zimbabwe was to win international donor funding for land reform.

At a special ruling party congress last week, President Mugabe vowed to push through with his controversial land resettlement by next year.

"Don't worry about the British, don't worry about the threats we have had during the year. We will get the land back," Mr Mugabe told the delegates.