Zimbabwe’s properties in Cape Town which a German bank and evicted white farmers wanted to attach to pay off part of their debts with the Zimbabwe government have been abandoned and are now occupied by vagrants. Though the properties were meant for the consulate none of them is registered as a property which qualifies for diplomatic immunity.
These are some of the revelations contained in a recent judgment in which a South African High Court judge ruled that the bank and former white farmers whose land was taken over by the government could not attach the properties because they enjoyed diplomatic immunity. The judge, however, said one of the properties which was being rented out could be attached because it was being used for commercial purposes.
German bank KFW wanted to attach the properties because it is owed 40 million Euros by the Zimbabwe government. The farmers were seeking compensation for their land that was confiscated by the government without compensation.
The property that the court said could be auctioned is said to be worth between R1 million and R3 million which will be shared by the parties.
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