Commercial farmers in Zimbabwe fear a new round of land occupations this weekend after several received visits yesterday from war veterans warning that they had until tomorrow in some cases, and Monday in others, to pack their bags and leave.

The president of the Commercial Farmers' Union, Tim Henwood, said the threats centred on areas won in last weekend's election by President Robert Mugabe's ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (Zanu-PF). They did not appear to be directed at supporters of the Movement For Democratic Change (MDC), which won a record 57 parliamentary seats. He said: "We are not sure whether the threats are election-related but we have heard reports of groups looking for opposition supporters."

The ruling party, which won 62 seats, has pledged to press ahead with resettling landless peasants whom it used in a four-month campaign of farm invasions ahead of this election. President Mugabe's central election message was that land was stolen from the indigenous people at colonisation and now it is time for the whites to give – not sell – it back.

On 2 June, the government gave one month's notice – expiring on Sunday – that a list of 804 farms would be seized.

However, those farms in Mashonaland East that received warnings yesterday were not necessarily on the list, raising questions about whether the new round of threats is government-inspired, the work of a renegade group, or signifies that a power struggle to replace President Mugabe is under way within Zanu-PF.

Even though the 76-year-old president co-opted Chenjerai "Hitler" Hunzvi for the pre-election land occupation campaign, the war veterans' leader backs a faction of Zanu-PF led by the Marxist hardliner, Eddison Zvogbo. The ruling party is due to resume a post-election politburo meeting today after which a date may be announced for the opening of parliament.