HARARE, Zimbabwe, Feb. 28 (UPI) -- Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe says he will continue to seize farm lands from whites.

BBC reported Saturday the president told rally attendees in Chinhoyi that there would be "no going back" on planned and already executed land seizures.


Mugabe also said the Southern African Development Community tribunal in Namibia had no right to intervene on the farmers' behalf. The panel in November ruled that Zimbabwe's plans to seize dozens of white-owned farms were illegal.

"Farms will not be returned back to former farmers," Mugabe said. "Some farmers went to the SADC ... but that's nonsense, absolute nonsense, no-one will follow that."

Zimbabwe's Commercial Farmers Union says that, in the past month, operations at about 150 farms have been disrupted.

Mugabe made the comments at a celebration for his 85th birthday.

Prime Minister Morgan Tvansgirai of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change Party declined to attend the event in Harare, saying the birthday party is a political function so he is not obligated to attend as prime minister, CNN reported.