HARARE - Southern African Development Community (SADC) leaders have been called upon to condemn Zimbabwe's continued disregard to compensate white farmers who have been violently pushed off their land in recent years.
The SADC lawyers association implored the heads of state that will meet in Namibia at the weekend to deal with the situation in Zimbabwe effectively. The SADC tribunal has ruled that over 70 farmers be compensated, but the Zimbabwean government has ignored the order. The regional tribunal last month ruled that the failure of the Zimbabwean government to respect its ruling should be referred to the SADC summit in Windhoek.
Continued silence on the actions of the Zimbabwean authorities will only help to play into the hands of sceptics who doubt the ability of the regional leaders to deal effectively with the government of Zimbabwe and its leaders,” the association said in a statement. The lawyers said leaders in the region should take a principled stand on the matter by condemning the Zimbabwe government.