Zimbabwe Property Can be Sold Says SA Court

November 26 - Three white farmers got their day in court this week after a South African judge ruled that Zimbabwean government property in SA could be auctioned off to compensate them for being evicted from their land.

The Zimbabwean farmers, as well as a German bank, took the government to court and asked that the property? in Cape Town be auctioned off.

One of the houses in Cape Town is being leased commercially and therefore does not enjoy diplomatic protection.

The court ordered that the property be sold and the revenue shared among the farmers and the German bank.

Zimbabwe owes over $55 million to the bank.

A lawyer for Afriforum, which represents white farmers, said that the decision could be termed a "symbolic victory" for the evicted farmers.

?"The court said there was not enough evidence to prove that the other two properties were being used commercially," said Willie Spies.

In 2008, a judge ruled that President Mugabe's land reforms were racist and his government was ordered to compensate white farmers who had been evicted.

The property is expected to fetch up to R3 million, however the lawyer said that the victory was less about money and more about the fact that it set a precedent for future cases.

"They did this to establish certain law principles for the future," said Spies. "This is about the principle and land reform and the infringements of rights."

11/26/2010 12:02:06 PM