Sadc Tribunal To Hear Application To Refer Zim Government To Sadc Summit
The Zimbabwean
Zimbabwe: Today:
Written by Staff reporter
Tuesday, 01 June 2010 12:23
SADC Tribunal to hear application for a court order to refer the Zimbabwean government to the SADC Summit The SADC Tribunal in Windhoek sits again today, Tuesday 1 June, in an important application to hold the Government of Zimbabwe in contempt of the SADC Tribunal and to obtain an order to refer the “matter” (see below) urgently to the SADC Summit.
The application calls upon the SADC Tribunal to consider without further delay measures under the SADC Treaty to terminate or suspend the membership of the respondent (the Government of Zimbabwe) from SADC. The application is brought by Zimbabwean commercial farmers Louis Fick, William Michael Campbell and Richard Etheredge, the Commercial Farmers’ Union of Zimbabwe and the Southern African Commercial Farmers’ Alliance – Zimbabwe. The basis of their application is that the Government of Zimbabwe continues with its campaign of arrests, prosecutions, imprisonment and other measures of intimidation which serve to destroy the lives of farmers and thousands of farm workers and their families on the commercial farms of Zimbabwe.
Background information (from the Heads of Argument for applicant):
This application is the sequel to two rulings by the Tribunal – Mike Campbell (Pvt) Ltd and Others v Republic of Zimbabwe (“the Campbell case”) and William Michael Campbell and Another v The Republic of Zimbabwe (“the referral proceedings”). In the former this Tribunal unanimously held that the respondent (the Government of Zimbabwe) was in breach of the SADC Treaty. In the latter it was held that the respondent had violated the ruling in the former, and the failure to comply with the first ruling was referred to the SADC Summit for its attention.
Despite this, the respondent has persisted with increased vigour and more flagrant contempt of the Tribunal in violating the above rulings. Thus lives, liberty and property of thousands of people protected by the Tribunal’s rulings – and that of their families, farm workers and their families – are increasingly imperilled each day. And on a continued basis senior members of the respondent’s government repudiate the Tribunal and its rulings, despite the country’s sustained membership of SADC.