THE first white farmers charged with defying Zimbabwean government eviction orders appeared briefly in court yesterday and were freed on bail, allowing them to return to their homes.

The deadlock between white farmers and the Zimbabwean government that has ordered them to abandon their land showed no signs of breaking today.

The Zimbabwean government today reassured its Asian citizens that their businesses and homes would not be seized by ruling party militants.

The Southern African Development Community has accused the Zimbabwean Government of failing to create free and fair conditions for last weekend's presidential election.

The Zimbabwean government has accused the United States of interfering in its domestic affairs by threatening to introduce economic sanctions against the African nation.

The Zimbabwean Government has banned 1,000 white farmers from working their fields and has given them three months to leave their homes as part of its fast-track land reform plans.

Talks between white farmers and the Zimbabwean Government over President Robert Mugabe’s controversial land reform programme have collapsed without agreement.