Civil Society

Angy Peter case: defence questions police docket

Defence attorney William King has questioned the authenticity of the police docket handed to the court in the trial of Angy Peter and others.

Barbara Maregele

News | 20 August 2014

Mfuleni constable too sick to testify in Peter case

The case against activist Angy Peter and four others including her husband was postponed on 14 August as the Mfuleni detective constable was “too sick” to testify.

Barbara Maregele

Brief | 15 August 2014

Angy Peter trial: Police sergeant dismisses claims by State’s eyewitness

On 12 August, police sergeant Lesley Freeman, who arrested two of the four accused of murdering Rowan du Preez, dismissed several claims made by the State’s eyewitness.

Barbara Maregele

News | 13 August 2014

Police detective was not trained to probe murder

The detective constable who headed the investigation into the case where activist Angy Peter and four others are accused of killing Rowan du Preez had no formal detective training at the time.

Barbara Maregele

News | 12 August 2014

Fourth accused in Peter trial takes the stand

One of the four people accused of murdering Rowan du Preez nearly two years ago believes he was “falsely implicated” in the matter by his ex-girlfriend after their relationship ended on a bad note.

Barbara Maregele

News | 11 August 2014

Gugulethu residents go on 24-hour patrol

Residents of ward 44 in Gugulethu have taken matters in their own hands to combat crime in the area. About 122 volunteers have signed up to do community policing work, which encompasses patrolling the area 24-hours a day, checking sewage problems and collecting rubbish material. The group has divided itself into three shifts, working around the clock from 7am.

Johnnie Isaac

News | 11 August 2014

Expropriate the suburbs, say activists

Tracts of private suburban land will have to be expropriated by the state at below market value if spatial apartheid in South African cities is to be reversed. The property clause in the Constitution can be interpreted in a revolutionary manner to allow for this. Expropriated land, subsidised by existing government property, should be used to provide housing for shackdwellers from the city fringe, so that informal settlements can be less dense and upgraded. These were the concluding opinions in a roundtable discussion on the Urban Land Question in the Cape Town CBD on 7 August.

Daneel Knoetze

News | 8 August 2014

Good causes left to die waiting for lotto millions

In its 15 years of existence, the National Lotteries’ Board (NLB) has disbursed more than R18 billion to good causes, according to Minister of Trade and Industry Rob Davies. However, the 2013 annual report indicates that while 5,455 applications were adjudicated in the year, 10,928 applications were still outstanding as of 31 March 2013. 7,500 of those are applications from charities.

Katy Scott

News | 7 August 2014

Angy Peter trial co-accused also claims he was framed

The man accused of hitting murder victim Rowan du Preez multiple times with a golf stick the night before he was found severely burned, told the court he was at home watching movies at the time.

Barbara Maregele

News | 7 August 2014

SA shackdwellers protest against evictions in Austria

On 6 August, shackdweller movement Abahlali baseMjondolo (AbM) marched on the the Austrian honourary consul in Durban to protest the eviction of squatting “comrades” under way in Vienna. This, in reciprocation of months of solidarity and support from people and organisations based in Europe and the United States for AbM.

Daneel Knoetze

News | 6 August 2014

Accused Mbadu takes the stand in Angy Peter case

Isaac Mbadu, who is accused of killing Rowan du Preez nearly two years ago, took the stand this week to give his account of the events which led to his arrest. Mbadu, his wife Angy Peter, and their co-accused Azola Dayimani and Christopher Dina, are on trial in the Western Cape High Court for the kidnapping, assault and murder of Du Preez in October 2012.

Barbara Maregele

News | 6 August 2014

Sound advice for Women’s Month

Community outreach programmes will be a focus of Women’s Month in parts of the Western Cape affected by a high incidence of violence against women and children, provincial police commissioner Arno Lamoer has said.

Johnnie Isaac

Brief | 5 August 2014

Treatment Action Campaign in a tavern

People should view taverns as part of the community, where young people can meet to enjoy themselves, and not as enemies, community activists told a meeting at the weekend of the Kuyasa branch of the Treatment Action Campaign.

Munda Kula

Brief | 5 August 2014

Magistrate says charges stand against sanitation activists

The trial of 21 Social Justice Coalition (SJC) members continued in the Cape Town Magistrates' Court today. The group are charged with unlawfully attending and convening a protest in September last year.

Daneel Knoetze

News | 24 July 2014

Cape Town’s protest permit system not supported by law, says City employee

The City of Cape Town's policy that requires groups, marchers and protesters to apply for a gathering permit is not supported by law. This was a concession made by one of the City's own officials, Noel da Silva, who is employed to consider such applications and to grant permits.

Daneel Knoetze

News | 23 July 2014

Astonishing cost of Angy Peter trial sheds light on price of justice

After five months of sitting trial, Angy Peter and her husband Isaac Mbadu have yet to receive a verdict. In the process, they’ve racked up over R1.6 million in lawyer fees, according to the Social Justice Coalition (SJC).

Lara Sokoloff

Analysis | 23 July 2014