Regional tribunal rules against Zimbabwe farm seizure

By Henry Makiwa
14 December, 2007

A southern African regional court has ordered Zimbabwe not to proceed with the seizure of a white farmer's land, in a move that has dealt a blow to Robert Mugabe.

The Namibia-based Southern African Development Community (Sadc) tribunal ruled in favour of Mike Campbell, who argued that the seizure was racist. The ruling should allow Campbell to remain on his farm until the tribunal hears a group challenge.

Analysts say the ruling will be a vital test of Mugabe’s respect for Sadc statutes. It will also highlight the importance of the regional grouping which is trying to mediate an end to the political and economic crisis in Zimbabwe.

Campbell’s lawyer David Drury said: “Our arguments were that the government had violated the objectives, terms and conditions of the treaty it signed with other Sadc member states. We took the Sadc route because we felt we had exhausted all other legal measures at home. This ruling is thus important because it is the first of its kind in Africa and we wait to see if the government will respect it. It will surely test the accountability of the rulers.”

Campbell had asked the Sadc tribunal to overturn the seizure of his farm until a hearing of the full arguments next year. Lawyers for the regime failed to show that the government would suffer any losses by waiting until then.

Most of Zimbabwe's 4,000 white farmers have been forced off their land since 2000, under a chaotic government programme that destroyed agriculture and created shortages of food and foreign currency.