On the eve of 12 South African citizens appearing in a Zimbabwean magistrate’s court, the Democratic Alliance (DA) on Tuesday lodged a complaint with the Public Protector asking him to investigate South Africa’s alleged failure to protect its investors in Zimbabwe.
Addressing a media briefing at Parliament, the DA’s agriculture and land affairs spokesperson said that the South African government had failed to honour its assurances that South African investors in Zimbabwe would be assisted against arbitrary expropriation by the Zimbabwean authorities.
”South Africa has a duty to protect its citizens and their property. But ever since farmer Crawford von Abo wrote to President Thabo Mbeki last year, absolutely nothing has happened,” said Andries Botha.
Botha said Von Abo and other South African farmers were still being harassed and assaulted, with Von Abo and 11 others appearing in the Mwenezi Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday to face charges of trespassing.
”If found guilty of trespassing they could face up to two years imprisonment,” he said.
Botha said despite Von Abo taking his case up with the presidency, and having numerous contacts and undertakings from the foreign affairs ministry, ”up to this date no South African official actually attended” the court case.
He said that hopes of possibly coming to an amicable solution — resting on recent presidential talks between Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe, Nigeria’s Olusegun Obasango, and Mbeki — proved fruitless.
”We are convinced now that nothing will happen, and there is no logical reason for this. The only conclusion I can personally come to is that the approach of [the SA] government is that they will never condemn the Zanu-PF government and that it is unrevolutionary to criticise their land reform programme,” said Botha.
According to an affidavit handed in on Tuesday, Von Abo reported Mbeki and Foreign Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma to the Public Protector.
In the affidavit, Von Abo charges that the president and minister were guilty of ”unjustifiable exercise of power and unfair, discourteous, improper conduct and undue delay”.
Von Abo lost several farms due to Zimbabwe’s land expropriation policy and was arrested on August 19 2002, when he went to personally investigate the confiscation on his land.
He was released on bail of Z$10 000 (about $12) and ordered to reappear. – Sapa