However, as time went on the occupiers became more threatening and provocative and increasingly violent. Some groups occupying farms continually uttered death threats and insults. Some farmers were beaten and many farm workers were attacked. Some farmers were forced by threats to sign documents surrendering substantial portions of their farms. Some were expelled from their farms. Farm property was destroyed or stolen.

Towards the end of March President Mugabe threatened violence against white farmers. Talking about the farm invasions Mugabe said that they had largely been peaceful with no major incidents of violence reported. He said: "There have been very few cases of violence, but if farmers start to be angry and start to be violent, then of course they will get that medicine delivered to them. And it can be very, very, very severe, but we don’t want it to get there." This was subsequently reiterated when President Mugabe urged white farmers not to seek confrontation with the war veterans as this could result in them getting hurt. In actual fact the white farmers had tried hard to behave in a way that would not antagonise the war veterans and the Zanu (PF) youths who were accompanying them.

Since the end of March, however, they have become increasingly aggressive and there have been numerous reported cases of beatings of farm labourers and white farmers and the holding hostage of various people. Four white farmers have died. The first farmer to die was forcibly taken away from his farm in Macheke, severely beaten and then executed by shooting him. The second died after a large group of armed war veterans surrounded his farm in Nyamandhlovu and engaged in a gun battle with him. At least eight white farmers have been seriously injured as a result of beatings administered by groups of "war veterans." Most of the white farmers who have been killed or injured supported the MDC.

Towards the end of April a meeting took place between President Mugabe, representatives of the war veterans and representatives of the CFU and an agreement was reached in which the war veterans were to remain on occupied farms, but they would not use violence against the farm owners. Following this agreement, the violence against white farmers diminished. However, war veterans and their supporters unleashed a wave of violence against farm workers.

The police made no attempt to comply with this order, claiming that it would be impossible, dangerous and counterproductive to do so. The Attorney-General appealed against the order. Leaders of the war veterans proclaimed that they would not comply with the court order but instead they would intensify the programme of farm occupations. The CFU applied again to the High Court for legal redress. In a strongly worded judgment Judge Chinhengo said:

The farm invasions continued and the police continued to take no action to prevent the occupations or evict the occupiers. On 19 April the High Court held the leader of the war veterans, Dr Hunzvi, in contempt of court for failing to comply with an earlier High Court order barring him from inciting war veterans to invade farms. The judge, however, postponed the passing of sentence until 5 May on condition that the Hunzvi complied with the initial court order and that he took steps to assist the CFU to ensure peaceful evacuation of the occupied farms. In his affidavit Hunzvi said he was committed to obeying the law and the court order, and that he would always strive to assist the CFU to "ensure the peaceful vacation of the war veterans of the farms." He also maintained that in speaking to the war veterans on the farms he had been trying to persuade them to leave the farms.

Towards the end of March President Mugabe threatened violence against white farmers. Talking about the farm invasions Mugabe said that they had largely been peaceful with no major incidents of violence reported. He said: "There have been very few cases of violence, but if farmers start to be angry and start to be violent, then of course they will get that medicine delivered to them. And it can be very, very, very severe, but we don’t want it to get there." This was subsequently reiterated when President Mugabe urged white farmers not to seek confrontation with the war veterans as this could result in them getting hurt.

In respect of the deaths of two white farmers, Stevens and Olds, Vice President Muzenda said at an election rally that he did not regret the deaths of these two white farmers "because they had provoked the former fighters."

The acting Minister of Land and Agriculture, Joyce Mujuru said this about the violence against farm workers: "These are workers who really have been attacking the war veterans. It is these workers who have been misled, misguided by white farmers. The war veterans are just retaliating."

Professor J. Moyo, who is running the Zanu (PF) election publicity campaign, suggested that the reason for the farm violence is that white farmers are using farm labourers against the war veterans. He said:

President Mugabe also said that the whites were determined to fight against Zanu (PF) and the President declared that the fight was on against them and that they would not win the fight. If they aligned themselves with the MDC they would be treated as MDC and MDC would never win the election. Government maintained that the white farmers had mobilised and intimidated its workers to vote no in the referendum. It asserted that the white farmers had allied themselves with the MDC which had also campaigned for the rejection of the draft constitution. It also maintained that the white farmers were now campaigning on behalf of the MDC and had intimidated their farm workers into joining MDC. According to President Mugabe, by allying themselves with the MDC opposition the white farmers had rejected the hand of reconciliation offered by government and had, in effect, made themselves "the enemies of the state."

Finally, and very much belatedly, President Mugabe did express some regret for the violence that had occurred on the farms. Speaking about the Dunn murder he said that these cases were "a sad happening" and he hoped that the police would apprehend the culprits. He said that until land allocation began the war veterans should remain as peaceful as possible and should not disturb the farmers. "The agreed position, which is a position we hope can be sustained, is that there should continue to be peace and nonviolence prevailing and that acts of violence must be denounced by us all."

On the other hand, there are many people who believe that these farm occupations have little to do with the land issue but are simply part of the overall strategy of the ruling party to win the upcoming general election. According to this interpretation the ruling party was concerned that many white owned farms had become powerful bases for the MDC. These farmers had allowed the MDC to hold political rallies and the farmers had assisted by transporting farm workers to the rallies. The farmers had also given money to the MDC and had provided transport for the MDC to use. The ruling party, it was contended, had decided that this whole infrastructure of MDC support had to be eliminated. The way to do this was to occupy these farms and terrorise and intimidate white farmers and the farm workers who had joined MDC. That this was the main reason for the farm occupations is shown by the fact that almost all the white farmers targeted for killings and serious assaults have been active supporters of the MDC, and in some cases area organisers for the MDC. President Mugabe has in fact said quite openly that by aligning themselves with the MDC, white farmers and other white have made themselves enemies of the State. The assaults upon farm workers have been aimed at rooting out supporters of the MDC.