The Commercial Farmers Union said two more farmers from the Chipinge district in the eastern Manicaland province were arrested Monday, while four others in the same area were convicted for refusing to leave their properties.

The union said Mutare magistrate Samuel Zuze found the four farmers, who included a South African citizen, guilty of failing to make way for the new owners of their properties.

The magistrate ruled that the farmers would be jailed for two years each if they did not comply with the ruling.

"The four were also denied their basic right to appeal against the judgment, stating there was 'no doubt' in his ruling," the union said in a statement.

A last minute stay of eviction was granted by the High Court on Wednesday after the farmer's legal representatives filed an urgent application shortly after their sentencing.

The CFU said it was extremely concerned that Zuze had a vested interest in the case, alleging that the magistrate was one of the people allocated plots on one of the affected farms.

-APA