Court rules in favour of Zimbabwe white farmers

6/8/11 10:41 AM
Cape Town


Cape Town – A Pretoria High Court ruling on Monday will enable former Zimbabwean farmers to sell Government property in South Africa as compensation for their losses.

These farmers, in particular, Louis Fick, Mike Campbell and Richard Etheredge, welcomed the decision of this Court to allow them to have four properties after their expulsion from their farms during the controversial land reform campaign in Zimbabwe.

"This trial has a historical importance. It's probably the first time in history that an international legal Court decides that the goods from a country guilty of human rights violations are sold during an auction," said attorney, Willie Spies, who represented farmers.

The legal battle began after the Court of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) decided in November 2008 that the process of land reform in Zimbabwe was a racist and illegal and that farmers should be compensated for the loss of their holdings.

The protocol introduced by the Court provides for the registration and enforcement of its decisions on member countries of SADC.

Shortly after registration of the decision, farmers have seized three properties of the Zimbabwean government which were no longer used for diplomatic reasons.


In July 2010, the Zimbabwean government imposed a series of requests for annulment of the seizure of their property and the decisions of the SADC Tribunal.
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