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Amnesty International Report on Zimbabwe NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FOR
WRITTEN REPLY QUESTION NO 133. PUBLISHED IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER
NO 2 OF 2005: 18 FEBRUARY 2005
MR LB LABUSCHAGNE (DA) TO ASK THE MINISTER
OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS:
(1) Whether, with reference to her reply to Question
1130 on 1 February 2005, she or any official in her department has read the Amnesty
International (AI) Report 2004; if so;
(2) Whether the reports from the SA
High Commission in Harare on internal developments in Zimbabwe cover all issues
included in the section "Zimbabwe" beginning on page 90 of the AI report;
if not, (a) why not and (b) which subheadings of that section were not covered
in SA High Commission reports;
(3) Whether, on those issues contained in the
AI report that were covered in the High Commission reports, the conclusions reached
by the High Commission differed from those reached by AI; if so, how do they differ
in respect of each specified issue;
(4) What were the conclusions and/ or recommendations
contained in the reports by the High Commission on land invasions affecting South
African citizens in Zimbabwe;
(5) (a) what steps have been taken by her department
and/ or the High Commission in Harare to protect the interests of South African
land owners in Zimbabwe, (b) how successful have these steps been in respect of
each South-African owned property threatened by land invasions or expropriation
and (c) when will the bilateral investment protection agreement between the two
countries be signed? N179E
REPLY:
1) Yes, the officials in the
Department have read the Amnesty International report on the humanitarian crisis
at play in Zimbabwe entitled "Zimbabwe: Power and Hunger-Violations of the
Right to Food", dated 15 October 2004. 2) No, they do not.
3)
Yes, the conclusions differ.
4) The Embassy has concluded, amongst others
issues, that the South African Government should continue to engage the government
of Zimbabwe regarding the undertaking it made to the SADC member states that the
listed farms of their citizens would be delisted. That the BIPPA be signed at
the earliest possible time in order to protect the properties of the SA nationals.
5) The Embassy has on each and every occasion that an invasion of the property
of a South African national is reported to the Embassy intervened by asking for
assistance from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Lands, Land Reform and Resettlement
and Agriculture and Rural Development. Furthermore, the Embassy has provided the
Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Lands, Land Reform and Resettlement with the
list of the names of farmers and their farms affected by the Fast Track Land Reform,
and has also facilitated meetings between senior officials of the Ministry of
Lands, Land Reform and Resettlement and some of the affected farmers. The
Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (BIPPA), which is aimed
at, among other issues, protecting the properties of South African nationals in
Zimbabwe, is ready for signature. Once dates convenient for the relevant Ministers
are identified, it will be signed. | 
