Farmers have expressed concern over the army’s visits to their properties last weekend on a purported mission to gather information to facilitate land reform.

In what appeared like an intensification of military involvement on farms, soldiers visited farms, mostly in Mashonaland provinces, collecting information without explaining the purpose of the exercise.

Commercial farmers were made to fill in a questionnaire which contained queries relating to their properties. The army officers took the forms away saying they needed the data for their own use.

In interviews with the Zimbabwe Independent, farmers deplored the behaviour of the army and its involvement in what they called a "shadowy exercise".

"They came to my farm early on Saturday morning around 6.00am and woke me up," said one farmer who declined to be named. "They then gave me a questionnaire which I had to complete. I tried to get an explanation on what their mission was but they refused to say anything except that they needed the information for their own use. But what has the army got to do with farms, I wonder?"

The questionnaire sought information on levels of production on the farm, farming activities undertaken, number of employees, name of owner, size of the farm, its cost, and how the farmers related to war veterans in cases where the ex-combatants had remained on properties.

"I asked if that should not be the job of Agritex (Agricultural Technical Extension Services) officers but they said they needed the information for their own records,"one farmer said. "It would appear as if they wanted to intimidate us,"he said.

Farmers said the army arrived at their properties in combat gear and armed with assault rifles.

"They came in green Mazda 323 military cars. They had assault rifles and communication radios. They were in full camouflage and were very aggressive in their approach,"said another farmer. "My family was very scared by their unexpected visit."

Some of the farms visited were in Beatrice area, about 50 kilometres south of Harare along the Masvingo Road. Farmers were woken up early in the morning and subjected to hostile questioning sessions which they said were characterised by thinly veiled threats.

"The army was active in the area (Beatrice) on Saturday and visited a number of farms along the Acton Reynolds Road. There was an increase in army movement with a questionnaire for farmers in connection with the land resettlement programme," the CFU reported earlier this week. "Farms in several districts (in Mashonaland Central) were visited by the army. At this stage this seems little more than an intelligence gathering operation, " said the CFU.

The army has installed a communication centre in Beatrice to coordinate their activities, sources in the area said. They also maintained a presence around farms including those which have not been invaded by war veterans.

Commercial Farmers Union (CFU) president Tim Henwood said it was not clear what the motive of the army was.

"They were doing a survey to find out what was happening on the farms but it is not clear why," he said.

Sources said some farmers tried to resist the exercise but were put under duress to provide information.

"Some of the farmers tried to resist but where cowed into submission. They completed the questionnaire unwillingly," a farming source said.

However, government this week said the army visited the farms because they would be part of the resettlement exercise. The army would provide vehicles to transport people and logistical support, government said this week.

Chair of the inter-ministerial committee on land, Ignatius Chombo, said the military would help in relocating thousands of people to be resettled on compulsorily acquired farms. He did not say why the army forcibly elicited information from the farmers.

"The involvement of the army is to do with the sharing of transport and personnel. It has the vehicles needed to move people from one place to the other. It will also establish a communication centre to ensure decisions are made fast and implemented," Chombo told a government daily on Monday. "When people are relocated, they will need transport and it is in this area that the army will play an important role. In any case, the war veterans technically fall under the Ministry of Defence and so the presence of the army on farms should not be misconstrued," he said.

The army was not available for comment at the time of going to press. While the army’s visits to the farms has raised eyebrows, the military has been involved in farm invasions since they started in February. They coordinated the invasions and provided logistical support to the ex-combatants. It was also thought that the army supplied arms, which were in circulation on the farms. Some of the arms like the AK47 assault rifles, automatic FN and automatic shotguns have been spotted on farms.