DA welcomes High Court judgement compelling SA government to protect the rights of SA citizens in Zimbabwe

The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes a High Court decision today compelling the South African government to protect the rights of South African citizens in Zimbabwe.

Crawford von Abo, a Free State farmer, today won a decisive court victory over the South African government in a matter which will probably see the South African President compelled to take action to ensure that the property of our citizens in Zimbabwe is protected from reckless seizure by the ZANU-PF regime.

Over the past eight years President Mbeki has done everything in his power to protect the brutal dictatorship of Robert Mugabe, and in his single-minded pursuit of this goal he has been more than willing to sacrifice the rights of ordinary South Africans. This court judgment is confirmation that the president has failed to ensure the protection of the people that he was elected to serve.

The High Court judge's condemnation of the South African government's lack of action was damning: " I regret to say that it is difficult to resist the conclusion that the respondent (South African government) were simply stringing the applicant along, and never had any serious intention to afford him proper protection. Their feeble efforts, if any, amounted to little more than quiet acquiescence in the conduct of their Zimbabwean counterparts and their war veteran thugs".

This is a powerful indictment of the actions of the Zimbabwean government, which are illegal and insupportable. It is also a tacit implication of President Mbeki in the ZANU-PF government's crimes, because of his continued support for Mugabe's repressive regime.

We trust that the South African government will act decisively now to protect the property rights and interests of its citizens in Zimbabwe, and will not delay matters by appealing this judgment.

Statement issued by Tony Leon MP, Democratic Alliance spokesperson on foreign affairs, July 29 2008