The farmers are caught in a political trap that is only partly of their own making. Almost all support the MDC and many have given substantial amounts of money to fund the party's campaign against Mugabe. The President has been incensed by such activities and is worried that the farmworkers will follow their bosses' examples and vote for the opposition. To forestall any such development Mugabe, who is 76, has launched the carefully orchestrated campaign that has sparked such violence in recent weeks. It is no coincidence that the farms targeted by the flying columns of Zanu thugs have been in strong MDC areas.
People are really scared.
The farmers are a rugged breed, with their bush hats and moustaches and tans, and are committed to their way of life. The blacks just do not have the capital or the expertise to run big commercially viable farms like this. Many former white-owned farms that have been taken over have been ruined. We don't oppose land reform in theory. But the white community is very nervous.