The South African government and Zimbabwe will sign an investment and protection agreement in Harare on Friday.

South African and Zimbabwean agricultural unions lodged an application with the North Gauteng High Court earlier, trying to prevent the signing.

AfriForum and the Commercial Farmers Union claimed the agreement would have excluded South Africans farming in Zimbabwe.

A high court ruling ordered the government to honour a 2008 SADC tribunal finding that Zimbabwe’s Land Reform Programme was discriminatory.

AfriForum’s Willie Spies said this was a victory for South Africans farming in Zimbabwe and farmer Louis Fick also welcomed the ruling.

The South African government’s undertaking to honour the SADC ruling means citizens will be protected against Zimbabwe’s Land Reform Programmes.