Zambia to probe farmers accused of coup plots

Lusaka - Zambia's National Farmers Union (ZNFU) Thursday reassured anxious white foreign farmers in the wake of stern statements from President Levy Mwanawasa's office that government would investigate those of their number accused of plotting to remove him and his ruling party from power.

ZNFU president Guy Robinson in a statement appealed to commercial farmers to continue with their normal farming operations, stating that there would be no disruption of any kind in their activities by government.

State House last week accused some rich white commercial farmers and safari operators of planning economic sabotage ahead of Zambia's 2006 tripartite elections by creating artificial food shortages and influencing white-owned companies to distort the local crop market.

The accusations have raised fears of state reprisals against safari companies, largely run by white foreign investors, and the commercial farming community, which now include hundreds of white farmers from neighbouring Zimbabwe and who have contributed 60 percent to the national crop output in the last three farming seasons.

The powerful union said it had carefully studied the correspondence from State House to the farmers, and urged white commercial farmers not to worry or panic about the security of their investments or their own personal security stating that the Mwanawasa government was not against them.

The named farmers and tour operators were also accused of mobilising funds for the opposition Patriotic Front (PF), but they have since denied the state's allegations, while the PF described the allegations as 'wildlife politics' framing innocent people.

Mwanawasa's office said the information it received was 'clearly very serious' as it bordered on economic sabotage and threatened national security.

Government was obliged to investigate reports of suspected illegal activities among citizens and corporate bodies and would not down play the allegations, State House asserted.

According to State House, the farmers allegedly resolved to work against Mwanawasa and unseat him from power, citing the heavy tax regime on agriculture inputs and the strong appreciation of the Kwacha - the local currency- against major trading currencies.

Both factors had negatively impacted on the white farming community, as would a proposed empowerment bill, said not to be in the interest of whites in Zambia. - Sapa-dpa

Quickwire

Published on the Web by IOL on 2006-05-04 15:59:42

Coup plots and sabotage by whites was a factor in Zambia in the early days after independence, but this seems unlikely. Despite what the article says, it's boom time for white interests in Zambia following Saps and privatisation of anything and everything. The kwacha is actually doing well. This I suspect is what a lot of stupid governments do when elections are close create a climate of fear. In western nations it's illegal immigrants and wars on terror, sometimes in Africa it's coups and plots against the government.