The Zimbabwean government on Wednesday called an immediate halt to invasions of private businesses by self-styled war veterans, news reports said.
"This should cease forthwith as it constitutes the crimes of kidnapping and extortion," Home Affairs Minister John Nkomo was quoted as saying. So-far, the police have been singularly ineffective in halting the scores of urban raids by ruling party militants which began in early April, further threatening Zimbabwe's already ailing economy.