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AfriForum
embarks upon a civil sanction campaign
AfriForum
March 26, 2010
The Government
of the Republic of Zimbabwe has been at war with its own people
for longer than 10 years.
During this war against its people, white farmers have been targeted
and deprived of not only their property but also their dignity,
while hundreds of thousands of farm workers have been left to the
mercy of ZANU-PF militia and warlords.
The Zimbabwean
economy has disintegrated. The poor are becoming poorer while the
wealthy government officials and beneficiaries of the land redistribution
program get richer.
In these desperate
circumstances, AfriForum was approached last year by Messrs Deon
Theron and Louis Fick of the Commercial Farmers' Union for
assistance.
"Bloodmilk"
campaign
AfriForum's
campaign started when it became known that an international dairy
company purchased milk from a farm that was confiscated by the Mugabe
regime and transferred to Mr Mugabe's wife, Ms Grace Mugabe.
AfriForum undertook an extremely successful international media
and internet campaign and international pressure lead to a decision
by the dairy company not to purchase milk from the said farm.
The
fate of South African farmers
Mr Louis Fick
is a South African citizen, farming on Friedawil in the Chinhoyi
district. His farm was earmarked for land redistribution and he
was effectively chased off his farm last year. At the moment, Mr
Fick stands trial on criminal charges that he "failed to co-operate
with the Zimbabwean land reform program". If found guilty,
he can be sentenced to two years in a Zimbabwean jail. Mr Fick could
not join us today as he is on Friedawil this week to try and recover
his remaining personal movable assets from the homestead, after
the home was broken into and apparently looted.
Last year when
it became known that the South African Government was on the verge
of entering a bilateral investment agreement that would exclude
South African farmers from protection, AfriForum assisted Louis
Fick in an attempt to obtaining an interdict against the signing
of such a discriminating treaty.
The matter
was settled, and the South African Government recommitted itself
to the protection of South African farmers as well as to the upholding
of the ruling of the SADC tribunal of November 2008 where the land
reform policies of Zimbabwe were found to be racist and unlawful.
AfriForum regards
it as our duty to hold the South African government to these commitments.
More particulars of future legal and civil action will be announced
in due course.
The
SADC Tribunal rulings
In November
2008 the tribunal ruled in favour of Mr Michael Campbell and 78
Zimbabwean farmers that the land reform program was racist and unlawful.
In his reaction to this, President Robert Mugabe described the ruling
as "nonsense and of no consequence" to Zimbabwe. The
tribunal followed up its ruling with a contempt ruling and costs
order in June 2009.
On 26 February,
the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria registered these rulings.
They are now rulings of a South African court and as such the cost
order is an executable judgement.
Four Cape Town
properties in Zonnebloem, Kenilworth and Wynberg were identified.
The Sheriff of Cape Town visited these properties on 11th March
2010 to attach movables. We have received his confirmation about
the current state of the properties: Three of the properties are
vacant and one is being leased to third party tenants. Since the
properties are therefore of a non-diplomatic nature, they can be
attached.
A writ of execution
of immovable property will therefore be issued in the North Gauteng
High Court, today and served early next week.
The attachment
of immovable properties in Cape Town will be the first step in what
AfriForum describes as its "Civil Sanction Campaign".
This campaign
is our gesture of hope and support for the millions of Zimbabweans
waiting in despair for a better life.
For further information:
Willie Spies
(Legal Representative: AfriForum
Cell: +27 83 676 0639 (South Africa)
E-mail: willie@hurterspies.co.za
Ben Freeth (SADC
Tribunal Watch)
Cell: +263 913 929 138 (Zimbabwe)
E-mail: freeth@bsatt.com
Brief
information on AfriForum
AfriForum is
an independent initiative of the South African trade union Solidarity.
It is a non-profit institution which endeavours to eradicate the
cycle of withdrawal. The process motivates minorities to participate
constructively in public life and debate by means of:
- Campaigns
for the protection and consolidation of civil rights
- Establishing
functional forums in various spheres of life
- Creating
a future vision for minority communities
- Promoting
co-operation between civil institutions.
- Liasing with
the rest of the world
- Liasing with
the authorities.
AfriForum offers
a forum for the constructive activation of minorities to participate
in public debate and action, in order to ensure a future for all
in Africa. http://www.afriforum.co.za
Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.
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