He was the latest victim of a campaign that began last February when supporters of President Mugabe's Zanu-PF party began illegally occupying over a thousand commercial farms. Virtually all of those farms are owned by white Zimbabweans, many of whom purchased their farms legally after Zimbabwe gained independence. President Mugabe has ignored two court rulings declaring the farm seizures illegal. The farm takeovers have contributed to the worst economic crisis in Zimbabwe's history. Agriculture accounts for twenty percent of Zimbabwe's gross domestic product, but has been seriously disrupted.
Inflation is around seventy percent.
Half the workforce is unemployed. Riots have broken out over increases in the cost of living. Clearly, Mr. Mugabe is trying to fan the flames of racial hatred for his own political ends. It is the political violence and the farm seizures that he has promoted that have devastated Zimbabwe's economy. For the sake of his country, President Mugabe needs to change course.