Some buyers could decide that a worsening political crisis may mean they will never see the tobacco they have paid for.Mr Devenish believes the current political turmoil is almost as great a disincentive to early sale as the desire for devaluation. “This country is on the verge of anarchy,” he said.While whites with huge farms can hold off, small scale black farmers have few options. Godfrey, 45, farms just eight hectares of tobacco, 300km west of Harare. He is successful in his own modest way, having started a shop and a transport company with his tobacco profits.”I had to sell today just to live, though I too would prefer to wait for a devaluation,” said the father of four. Would he also like some more land, as the government is promising a disenchanted electorate? Sure, he says But he does not need to grab it from whites.

“I already farm on redistributed land and I rent from others already granted land [which they are] uninterested in farming There is already a lot of idle land owned by the government. We should make proper use of that first.”But would the return of land Zanu says was stolen by colonialists win the party his vote? Godfrey pulls down his baseball cap and squints left and right to make certain no one is listening “No,” he says “For the main thing is corruption, not land Whatever the government says, not everyone can farm. Land was not given to those of us who had showed we can farm but to the friends of politicians.”He says his community, like others, is being intimidated. Zanu, he says, has tried to stamp out support for the opposition after its local officials were recently humiliated when no one came to a rally they organised. Although Zanu has always controlled rural areas like his, an MDC rally attracted 300 the same week, despite Zanu attempts to disrupt it.Godfrey did not fight the liberation war but his brothers did.

He says that the notion that war veterans are leading the campaign against white farms is ludicrous “My brothers are embarrassed Those men are not war veterans but thugs. People are just hungry for change,” he said, his voice rising despite the danger “But they are frightened as well In our local townships, soldiers have suddenly appeared. Not many, but enough to make people fear a war if Zanu loses.”. Fast-moving phones group Atlantic Telecom continued its rapid expansion today, announcing a half billion pound acquisition and the launch of its own Internet service.