Property believed to be worth more than $100 million was destroyed in the pre-dawn raids, which began on Sunday morning.
According to government officials and resettled farmers who spoke to the Daily News yesterday, Windcrest Farm was invaded in 2000 at the height of land occupations spearheaded by war veterans and other supporters of the ruling ZANU PF.
The occupiers were officially allocated the land in August 2001, when the Masvingo provincial lands committee demarcated individual plots for the new farmers.
Government officials said the property, formerly owned by Magid Khan, was acquired by the state and officially demarcated for the settlers.
But the resettled farmers said they were told to leave the property last week because it had been bought by a Mr Mukumba, who is believed to be an employee at Zimbabwe's High Commission in London.
When they failed to vacate the property, the police moved in and set fire to huts and other property belonging to the new farmers, including several tonnes of food, furniture and clothing. ***
"What they have done is absolutely insignificant given the gravity of the problem," Chavez said, blaming globalization and failed neoliberal economic policies. "Neoliberalism has been defeated," Chavez proclaimed to audience applause. "Now we're going to bury it, starting this century."
Chavez and Castro are strong political allies and close friends. Chavez thanked the Cuban leader for technological assistance that he said helped sharply reduce Venezuela's illiteracy rates. Chavez contends that an "oligarchy" bent on ousting a democratically elected leader has sabotaged his efforts to fight for the poor.
The 13 heads of state and government from Africa and the Caribbean attending the U.N. conference also included the presidents of Zimbabwe, Gambia, Burkina Faso, Mali and Namibia and the prime ministers of Lesotho, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, Grenada, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Many of the Africa presidents in attendance hail from countries whose independence struggles were aided by Cuba in the 1980s and 1990s.
"Coming to Cuba is to come to a country where there are true friends of Africa," Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe said. Mugabe is the target of widespread international criticism. Zimbabwe was suspended for a year from the decision-making councils of the Commonwealth of Britain and its former terrorities because of concerns about human rights and disputed presidential elections Mugabe narrowly won last year.***