BBC News Online: World: Africa

Eyewitness: White farmers living in fear

We met Adrian and Marion Herud at a friend's house. Yesterday, about 80 people occupied their farm.

They were with another white farmer and his wife at the time.

For several hours, they were intimidated to the point they found it difficult describing what had happened without breaking down.

'Beaten hard'

"I was beaten hard on the side of my head and lost consciousness briefly," said Adrian Herud.

"When I came round, they made me write apologies to Mugabe. 'Do you know who Mugabe is?' 'Yes.' Bang! 'President Mugabe?' 'Yes, I know. He's my president, too.' Bang! I'm sorry."

"Lionel's wife kept on saying, 'They've hit him again, they've hit him again,' but I couldn't watch," said Marion Herud.

The Heruds constantly needed to reassure each other.

After the beatings, he had been forced to shout slogans in favour of President Mugabe, an act intended to humiliate him in front of his farm workers.

Then the women were taken from the house.

"They pushed us into the centre of the circle, until we danced," said Marion.

"We were forced to dance. We were threatened."

'End of colonial legacy'

The man behind these farm invasions is Dr Hunvi. On a tour of occupied farms, he insisted that seizing land was the final chapter in ridding his country of its colonial legacy.

"Our forefathers were victimised by those farmers. If those farmers think they are Zimbabwe-British, we would prefer they should go back to Britain," he said.

There was a real injustice done to black people here, and there is a very real need to redistribute land.

But the two people I met had been simply broken by terror.

"I am just constantly afraid. More afraid for my children than for myself," said Marion.

When I asked her if she saw a future for them in Zimbabwe, she shook her head.

Many farmers told us they would not tolerate this for much longer.