470

I was there in 1989 and there was definitely an "air" to the place. However when I visited again in 1994 it was quite different and seemed to be on the right track.

What a lot of people in the West never realised because as a "liberated" country it was never reported that even though the white vs black civil war finished in 1982 (?) the blacks continued to kill each other in the thousands until at least 1987.

1998 woul dhave been around when Mugabe started to talk about Marxism and nationalisation again in the attempt to divert attention away from his thievery and failed economic policies.

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A news report

Zimbabwe murder politically motivated: Perth family
The family of a Perth man murdered in Zimbabwe believe the attack was politically motivated.

Phillip Laing, 51, was killed after armed robbers abducted several people from the offices of a British-owned tea plantation.

Mr Laing was tied to a tree and forced to drink acid.

His brother-in-law, John Kirkman, believes Mr Laing was targeted because he was an Australian working for a British company.

"To me it doesn't sound like a simple armed robbery," he said.

"If somebody interrupts thieves they may get shot but they don't get carted off and chained to a tree and all that."

The family believes the killing was motivated by conflict over land claims on the plantation.

Mr Kirkman says he has written to Prime Minister John Howard: "I have asked him to bring whatever pressure he can on Zimbabwe to change the situation and I hope that will ultimately lead to the return of democracy and rule of law."

Two men have been arrested over the murder and investigations are continuing.

The Australian Government has offered full consular assistance to the man's family.

A spokesman for the Government says Australian High Commission officials are trying to reach Mr Laing's wife and his two daughters but telephone contact is difficult.