Zimbabwe VP ‘protected white farmers’

Emmerson Mnangagwa has been President Robert Mugabe's deputy for just over a year

Zimbabwe's Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa has said that he personally protected white farmers during the controversial land reform programme, when many farms were occupied by ruling party militants
He made the remarks at a memorial service in his home Midlands province for Estelle Theresa Coetzee, the wife of a prominent farmer and businessman.
It was attended by several Zanu-PF politicians, hundreds of farm workers and white farmers, the paper said.
“I have kept this a secret, but let me tell you now: The majority of you are still here because of Neville [Coetzee] and his wife,” Mr Mnangawa is quoted as telling the mourners.
“Every morning they would be at my house bothering me left and right to protect you. If you did not know it, it’s because of the good nature of the Coetzee family, who I have worked very well with over the past 40 years, that you are still here,” he said.

"Here in Midlands we stood our ground to avoid disruptions of the dairy industry and convinced the party leadership. As a result, Midlands is now the number one dairy-producing province in the country"

Emmerson Mnangagwa

There are not that many white farmers left in Zimbabwe, with several thousand of them forced to abandon farming in the last 16 years.
The seizure of land is seen as a key factor in Zimbabwe's economic meltdown since 2000.