Harare - Zimbabwe's ruling party dismissed on Saturday Morgan Tsvangirai's claims it would use violence to keep Robert Mugabe in power and accused the opposition leader of stirring up trouble.
"We are a peace-loving party and the people of Zimbabwe will not forgive anyone who foments violence," Zanu-PF spokesperson Patrick Chinamasa told AFP.
He dismissed as "nonsense" claims made earlier in the day by Tsvangirai that the ruling party was recruiting militias to carry out a retribution campaign ahead of a possible second round vote for the presidency.
"Tsvangirai also knows he will not win in the run-off. That is why he is trying to avoid it by claiming victory," said Chinamasa, who is also the justice minister.
He accused the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) of seeking to reverse Mugabe's controversial land reforms, which saw thousands of white-owned farms occupied when they were launched in 2000.
"The MDC claim they have won and they are unleashing former white farmers on farms occupied by new farmers to reverse the land reform programme," Chinamasa said.
"Their intention is to destabilise the country into chaos over the land issue. Their policy is clear and that is they want to reverse the land reforms."
Land-seizures being again
Mugabe's often violent land reforms saw the seizures of at least 4 000 properties formerly run by white farmers for redistribution to landless blacks, the majority of whom lacked the skills and means to farm.
State television reported on Saturday that Mugabe supporters had seized one of Zimbabawe's few remaining white-owned farms in reaction to reports that whites were coming back to reoccupy their land.
State television reported that "war veterans, war collaborators and members of (the ruling) Zanu-PF youth league have moved into a farm occupied by a (white) man in Masvingo and have given him four hours to vacate the premises."
Earlier on Saturday, Zimbabwean liberation war veterans vowed to occupy all white-owned farms in Masvingo Province amid reports that white farmers were returning to land seized by the government.
"Masvingo War Veterans Liberation Association Chairman Isiah Muzenda says their association has resolved to occupy all white-owned farms in the province in reaction to reports of white commercial farmers who are trickling back to re-occupy the land," state radio reported.
