Zim government still to respond on farm invasion subpoena
http://www.swradioafrica.com/
By Alex Bell
25 January 2010
The government has until Thursday to notify a South African civil rights group if it intends on opposing its application to sue over the ongoing invasions of South African owned land in Zimbabwe.
The group, AfriForum, served legal papers on the government last week, after winning a High Court battle to sue the government in relation to the land attacks. The group is trying to enforce a 2008 regional ruling declaring Robert Mugabe’s land ‘reform’ exercise unlawful. The ruling was passed down by the rights court of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), which ordered the government to protect farmers and their rights to their land.
The ruling has been completely ignored and the government has even stated it no longer recognises the SADC Tribunal’s orders. AfriForum is now trying to have the ruling enforced from within South Africa. AfriForums lawyer, Willie Spies, said in a statement on Friday that the papers had been served by AfriForum’s legal representatives in Harare. Spies said that the Zimbabwean government had until next Thursday to give notice of whether it intended opposing the application, which is set to be heard in court in February.
At least five Rusape farming families have come under threat by land invaders since December last year, with most of the families being forcibly evicted from their homes. All those evicted are South African citizens,
meant to be protected by a bilateral investment pact between the two countries. That pact, which was only signed late last year, is yet to be ratified in parliament, which both governments have used as an excuse not
to intervene.