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News release from the Southern Africa Litigation
Centre
21 April 2008
South African Navy must stop
passage of ship
carrying arms for
Zimbabwe
The
Southern Africa Litigation Centre (SALC) has received confirmation
that the Chinese ship, the An Yue Jiang, carrying arms destined
for Zimbabwe, has been spotted off the coast of South Africa and is en
route to Lobito, Angola. At present the ship is passing through South
Africa's territorial waters in violation of
Friday's court order and SALC calls upon the
South African Defence Force, in particular the Navy, to stop the
passage of the ship.
The court order granted by Durban's
High Court suspends the operation of the conveyance order required for
transfer of arms anywhere in South Africa, including its territorial
waters. Without this permit, the Chinese ship is in breach of South
African law, namely the
National Conventional Arms Control Act. South Africa's
Defence Act
specifically provides for law enforcement powers of the Defence Force
at sea.
Nicole Fritz, director of SALC, said,
"South African authorities are required to
stop the passage of this ship through South African waters and enforce
Friday's court order. If they do not stop
the ship, knowing that it is within South African waters and in breach
of South African law, they provide tacit support and assistance for
the transfer of these arms knowing that they are likely to be used in
the commission of the worst sort of human rights violations in
Zimbabwe".
SALC has also received reports that the ship may
dock in Walvis Bay, Namibia, for refuelling before proceeding to
Lobito, Angola. Fritz said :
"there are fears that the arms will then
simply be airlifted from Lobito to Zimbabwe".
Maritime experts have indicated that the ship will likely reach Lobito,
if it does not refuel in Walvis Bay, by the end of the week.
Contact :
Nicole Fritz
Telephone : 011-403
3414
Cell : 082-452 3909
Issued by FDBeachhead |
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News release from the Southern African Litigation
Centre
18
April 2008
Urgent application brought
to halt offloading
and transport of arms
bound for Zimbabwe
Durban - An urgent application is being brought in South Africa's
High Court to suspend the grant of a conveyance permit allowing the
transport of arms, currently on board the An Yue Jiang anchored
in Durban's port, to the government of
Zimbabwe and to prohibit the offloading of the consignment and any
transport of it through or over the Republic of South Africa.
This interim relief is sought pending an application for a court order
declaring the decision to grant the conveyance permit to be unlawful
and invalid and reviewing and setting aside the decision of the
Secretary of Defence who is purported to have granted the conveyance
permit.
The
application is being brought on behalf of individuals, Bishop Rubin
Phillip and Gerald Patrick Kearney, acting in the public interest,
with the support of the Southern Africa Litigation Centre. Attorney JP
Purshotam and Advocates Malcolm Wallis SC, Angus Stewart and Max du
Plessis are acting in the matter.
The
legal action will be brought in terms of the
National Conventional Arms
Control Act (the Act) which requires that any transfer of arms
be authorised by a permit issued in terms of the Act. Specifically,
the grant of a permit is limited under provisions of the Act which
require that such transfer not contribute "to
internal repression or suppression of human rights and fundamental
freedom" and not provide
"arms to governments that systematically violate or suppress
human rights and fundamental freedoms".
Nicole Fritz, director of the Southern Africa Litigation Centre (SALC)
said : "Given the
current situation in Zimbabwe, with increasing accounts of widespread
attacks on Zimbabwe's civilian population by
government forces, it is hard to imagine clearer circumstances in
which South African authorities were obliged to refuse the grant of
any conveyance permit".
Contact :
Nicole Fritz
Telephone : 011-403
3414
Cell : 082-452 3909
Issued by FDBeachhead |
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'Zim weapons ship can secretly offload' - 22 April
The ship carrying weapons from China for Zimbabwe is heading to
Angola, and could secretly transfer its cargo to another ship. On
Monday, London-based maritime research company Lloyd's MIU said there
were 32 ports in Africa capable of taking the An Yue Jiang.
"Given the intense media interest and the fact that this ship has six
cranes on board, an increasingly likely scenario is the possibility of
a ship-to-ship transfer of the controversial cargo 'over the horizon'
while the vessel is at sea," said Lloyd's MIU. It said there were 311
vessels in the area capable of taking the cargo, two of which were
owned by the An Yue Jiang's owners, the China Ocean Shipping
Company. - IOL website
Arms ship 'not in SA waters' - 21 April
A Chinese ship carrying a shipment of arms and ammunition destined for
Zimbabwe was not in South African territorial waters, said defence
ministry spokesperson Themba Gadebe on Monday. Reacting to a statement
by the Southern Africa Litigation Centre (Salc), which claimed the
ship, An Yue Jiang, was "passing through South Africa's
territorial waters in violation" of a Durban High Court order, he said
: "We are keeping track of it and we are certain it is not in South
Africa's territorial waters". -
News24 website
UN looks to Africa for Zimbabwe resolution - 21 April
The opposition warned that a shipment of Chinese arms destined for
Zimbabwe was headed for Angola and not Mozambique as some reports
suggested. The weapons would be flown from Angola to Harare, and would
be used to crush resistance to Zanu (PF) stealing the elections.
The ship is carrying arms, including 3-million rounds of
bullets used in AK-47 assault rifles, rocket-propelled grenades and
mortar shells. - Business Day
website
International labour group mobilises against Zimbabwe arms ship -
21 April
The International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) said Monday it
is mobilising against a ship carrying arms from China destined for
Zimbabwe from offloading in any African harbour. "Our objective is to
mobilise and organise unions in Africa to take a firm stand and try to
stop the ship from offloading these dangerous weapons which could be
used to kill Zimbabweans," ITF spokesman in Durban, Sprite Zungu told
AFP. - Africasia website
Chinese arms ship heading for Luanda - 20 April
A Chinese ship carrying arms to Zimbabwe, turned away from South
Africa, is heading to Angola in the hope of being allowed to dock
there, the transport minister of Mozambique said on Saturday. Paulo
Zucula, Mozambique's transport and communications minister, said that
Mozambique had been monitoring the movements of the ship since it
lifted anchor and left South Africa. -
IOL website
Zimbabwe arms ship seeks port - 19 April
There are
conflicting reports of where a Chinese ship carrying weapons and
ammunition destined for Zimbabwe is now heading.
The ship lifted anchor and sailed from Durban on Friday
evening less than an hour after the Durban High Court ordered that its
cargo cannot be transported across SA to Zimbabwe.
Initial reports indicated the ship was sailing to the
Mozambican ports of Maputo or Beira, but SkyNews reported on
Saturday afternoon that the ship appeared to be heading back down the
South African coast. Nicole Fritz, the director of the Southern
African Litigation Centre, said she had been informed that as the
sheriff of the Durban High Court approached the vessel, it lifted
anchor and began sailing. The ship's master,
who identified himself as captain Sunaijun, told Sapa by radio phone
on Friday night : "I am awaiting orders from
my owner". - The Times
website
Union
refuses to unload arms ship - 17 April
Opposition to a shipment of arms being offloaded in Durban and
transported to Zimbabwe increased today when South Africa's
largest transport workers union announced that its members would not
unload the ship. - The Times
website
SAPS, Sars heading for Durban - 17 April
Both the SA Police Services (SAPS) and the SA Revenue Services (SARS)
were on Thursday sending their top public relations officers to Durban
to deal with media enquiries surrounding a Chinese ship carrying
weapons destined for Zimbabwe. Both national police spokesperson
Captain Dennis Adriao and Sars spokesperson Adrian Lackay told Sapa
that they were on their way to Durban and would comment on the ship
once in Durban. - IOL website |
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Blog reports
Action : Stop the An Yue Jiang from delivering Chinese
weapons to Zimbabwe - 20 April
This is Zimbabwe blog
Is the An Yue Jiang on Llyods'
casualty list? - 20 April
Scotch Cart in Harare
North blog
Chinese soldiers and arms in Zimbabwe? - 16 April
Blogula Rasa blog
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