The Durban High Court on Friday ordered that a shipment of arms destined for Zimbabwe may be offloaded in Durban's harbour but that the controversial cargo cannot be transported across South Africa to that country.
Anglican bishop Rubin Phillips with Patrick Kearney, a former activist and executive of the Diakonia Council of Churches, applied to the Durban High Court to prevent the weapons from reaching Zimbabwe.
The papers were lodged with Judge Kate Pillay in chambers shortly before 5pm.
About an hour later their attorney Ranjit Purshotam emerged from the court and announced that Judge Pillay had ruled in favour of the application - effectively barring the movement of the arms to Zimbabwe.
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Their legal action was being sought in terms of the National Conventional Arms Control Act (NCACC), which "requires that any transfer of arms be authorised by a permit issued on terms of the NCACC".
On Monday South African defence secretary January Masilela, who chairs the scrutiny committee of the NCACC, issued the conveyance permit.
The An Yue Jiang has been at anchor off Durban since Monday.
Noseweek editor Martin Welz told Sapa on Wednesday that "the cargo ship was openly delivering a containment of arms for Zimbabwe".
He said he had copies of all the documents, including the bill of lading and a packing list.
The controversial cargo packed into 3080 cases allegedly includes three million rounds of 7.62mm bullets (used with the AK47 assault rifle), 69 rocket propelled grenades, as well as mortar bombs and tubes.
The cargo is, according to the documentation, valued at R9,88-million.
The seven respondents in the case are the NCACC, the minister of defence, the secretary of defence, the minister of foreign affairs, a company called AB Logistics, the Durban Port Captain and Transnet.
Pillay ordered that they return to court next Friday. - Sapa
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