Harare, 2007 Nov 6, Press TV
 
Zimbabwean white farmers' tractors are to be seized.

Zimbabwe Supreme Court has made a ruling to allow the government to keep hold of agriculture equipment seized from white-owned farms.

The southern African nation's highest court of appeal upheld the ruling on Monday that acquisition of farm machinery was constitutional since it benefited the public.

"I am satisfied that the compulsory acquisition in terms of the Act is for a purpose beneficial to the public generally or to a section of the public," said the chief justice Godfrey Chidyausiku.

While some of Zimbabwe's white farmers were challenging the government's right to take the equipment as part of its controversial land redistribution policy, they had left their equipment at sites.

President Robert Mugabe has ordered to seize thousands of white-owned farms and redistributed the land to black farmers since 2000.

The 83-year-old Zimbabwean leader has promised to pay the farmers for improvements made on the farms.