The whole situation is greatly aggravated by totally inadequate police reaction. The lawsuit also names the country's police commissioner, Augustine Chihuri, and the leader of the war veterans' group that has taken a leading role in the farm occupations, Chenjerai Hunzvi. The courts twice ruled that the occupations were illegal, but Mr Mugabe ordered the police to take no action to end the squatting on the farms. The farmers' union says it will drop the legal proceedings against the president if he takes immediate action to end the occupations and restore law and order. The production of tobacco, maize, wheat and other key crops has been disrupted.
Tobacco is the country's key export commodity.
Most of the shops in Karoi have also shut to show solidarity with the white farmers. A Karoi farmer, David Brand, was beaten unconscious on Tuesday by war veterans and was recovering yesterday. The opposition Movement for Democratic Change went ahead yesterday with its legal challenge to 28 parliamentary seats won by Mr Mugabe's Zanu-PF party in the June 24 and 25 elections. Zanu-PF won 62 of the 120 elected seats, and the MDC won 57. But because Mr Mugabe can appoint 30 MPs, his party has ended up holding 92 of the 150 parliamentary seats.