Zimbabwe's white farmers are holding their breath following last weekend's elections to see what form threatened government-sponsored land seizures will take.
They are hoping that President Robert Mugabe has been chastened by the loss of 57 seats to the opposition Movement for Democratic Change party and will moderate his policy of seizing land without compensation.
"At the moment we are waiting to see what will happen. I think the whole country is feeling a bit non-committal at the moment," Mr Tim Henwood, president of the Commercial Farmers' Union (CFU) told The Irish Times.
However, President Mugabe said in a televised statement that there was a "great expectation about the land which is still to come to our people in a big way". Yesterday, the Information Minister, Mr Chen Chimutengwende, confirmed the government was "committed to the programme".
He added that the ruling Zimbabwe African National Unity (Zanu-PF) party was also committed to "peace and order", echoing the conciliatory tone adopted by Mr Mugabe.
Mr Mugabe has been shunned by the international community since war veterans and Zanu-PF youths invaded white-owned farms last February, sparking a campaign of pre-election violence and intimidation.
The western community in the capital, Harare, also hopes that the election scare has persuaded Mr Mugabe to moderate his hardline policies.
The white farming community has conceded that it will have to part with some of its land but is bitterly opposed to the government's refusal to pay compensation.
Mr Mugabe has already listed 804 white farms for acquisition and demanded that the British government should pay any compensation costs.
Otherwise, the Zimbabwean government will pay only for any improvements made to farmland, such as irrigation schemes, dams and new buildings.
Over 1,600 white farms remained occupied, Mr Henwood said yesterday. The CFU had received unconfirmed reports of war veteran "hit squads" threatening to kill white farmers in Bindura, north of Harare.
Ian Millar, a white farmer believed to have been targeted, said he was satisfied the threat was an "old rumour" but said his family still felt under threat.
The MDC announced yesterday that vice-president, Mr Gibson Sabanda, will be leading the opposition in parliament, following the failure of its leader, Mr Morgan Tsvangirai, to win a seat in the elections.