News / National
Farmers want to take Mugabe to the African court
16 Feb 2012 at 19:57hrs | Views
Farmers Ben Freeth and Luke Tembani want to take President Robert Mugabe to the African Court, accusing him of human rights violations and racist and illegal land grabbing.
Freeth and Tembani will approach the African Commission later this month for leave to present their case to the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights for assistance against human rights violations.
The farmers are applying to the African Commission after the Southern African Development Community's (SADC's) Tribunal's activities were suspended last year at a plenary session of the SADC leaders' summit.
The SADC Tribunal is a regional court appointed to adjudicate human rights and other legal relationships in the southern African region.
The SADC Tribunal returned a verdict in favour of Zimbabwe farmers that Mugabe's land reform processes were racist, illegal and in breach of the SADC Treaty in November 2008.
South Africa's whiteman's lobby group, AfriForum, has since assisted Zimbabwe farmers to register the verdict of the SADC Tribunal in South Africa and to have a costs order issued by the SADC Tribunal executed by means of South African legal proceedings.
The properties will be sold by public auction if Zimbabwe's appeal in the Appeal Court in Bloemfontein is unsuccessful.
The African Commission sits later this month in Banjul in Gambia.
The African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights has jurisdiction over all matters and disputes in respect of the interpretation of the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights.
Hence, the African Commission can take a case which may otherwise only be lodged by a state at the African Court, to the Court on behalf of an individual.
These farmers are hoping to have their case heard by the African Court by means of the processes of the African Commission.
Freeth and Tembani will approach the African Commission later this month for leave to present their case to the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights for assistance against human rights violations.
The farmers are applying to the African Commission after the Southern African Development Community's (SADC's) Tribunal's activities were suspended last year at a plenary session of the SADC leaders' summit.
The SADC Tribunal is a regional court appointed to adjudicate human rights and other legal relationships in the southern African region.
The SADC Tribunal returned a verdict in favour of Zimbabwe farmers that Mugabe's land reform processes were racist, illegal and in breach of the SADC Treaty in November 2008.
South Africa's whiteman's lobby group, AfriForum, has since assisted Zimbabwe farmers to register the verdict of the SADC Tribunal in South Africa and to have a costs order issued by the SADC Tribunal executed by means of South African legal proceedings.
The properties will be sold by public auction if Zimbabwe's appeal in the Appeal Court in Bloemfontein is unsuccessful.
The African Commission sits later this month in Banjul in Gambia.
The African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights has jurisdiction over all matters and disputes in respect of the interpretation of the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights.
Hence, the African Commission can take a case which may otherwise only be lodged by a state at the African Court, to the Court on behalf of an individual.
These farmers are hoping to have their case heard by the African Court by means of the processes of the African Commission.
Source - TNA
