Human Rights

Separation of powers: Have the courts crossed the line?

This is an abridged version of the speech Deputy Chief Justice Moseneke delivered at the University of the Western Cape on Friday, 17 July.

Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke

Opinion | 24 July 2015

SASSA beneficiaries still struggling with illegal deductions

Diena Twala, a 71-year-old grandmother from Mbekweni says illegal deductions for airtime and electricity from her South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) account are still ongoing despite countless attempts to have it stopped.

Barbara Maregele

News | 22 July 2015

No more fish at “snoek point,

The fish seller at “snoek point” has been told by City authorities to move away from the busy road intersection of Spine and Eisleben Roads in Mitchell’s Plain.

Bernard Chiguvare

News | 17 July 2015

How Constitutional are the regulations on public gatherings?

Lobbyists and civil organisations who attended the City of Cape Town's information session on public gatherings this week believe that applying for permission to march is unconstitutional.

Barbara Maregele

News | 17 July 2015

Global campaign to make corporations more accountable

Transnational corporations influence every aspect of our lives. From the television programmes we watch to the food we eat, the clothes we wear and the way we communicate.

Baone Twala, Centre for Applied Legal Studies

Opinion | 9 July 2015

I’m a lesbian sangoma from Nyanga

I was raised in a township that is known for its murders, rapes, hate crimes and robberies. Nyanga molded me with a strong personality, but has left me with challenges that will forever be rubbed in my face by those who see my sexuality as satanic.

Pharie Sefali

Opinion | 9 July 2015

Why selection of next Concourt judge is a big deal

The Judicial Service Commission is interviewing four candidates for the Constitutional Court today and tomorrow (9 and 10 July). Alison Tilley of the Open Democracy Advice Centre explains why this week's process matters so much.

Alison Tilley

Opinion | 9 July 2015

Victory for consumers as court rules against salary deductions

Single mother and sole breadwinner Lisinda Bailey became tearful in court after Western Cape High Court Judge Siraj Desai declared the deductions which had been made from her salary were “invalid and unlawful.”

Barbara Maregele

News | 8 July 2015

Is Operation Fiela to be extended?

Operation Fiela was instituted in May for two months in response to xenophobic violence in Kwazulu-Natal and Gauteng. The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and the South African Police Service (SAPS) carry out its raids.

Mariska Morris

News | 7 July 2015

Mining - coming to a protected area near you

On 28 May 2015 the Traditional Healers Organisation laid criminal charges against mining company Aquila Steel SA (Pty) Ltd and three of its directors for illegally causing extensive damage to one of South Africa’s most sacred cultural sites.

Tracey Davies

Opinion | 6 July 2015

Court dismisses eviction of retired Montagu farmworker

A retired farmworker and his family who were evicted from their home on Langdam farm in Montagu last year are entitled to move back to their farmhouse, the Land Claims court in Cape Town ruled this week.

Barbara Maregele

News | 3 July 2015

Disturbing court judgment ignores our rights

On 23 June the Pretoria High Court struck from the roll an application by Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) that tried to put an urgent end to Operation Fiela. Lara Wallis explains why this is deeply concerning.

Lara Wallis

Opinion | 1 July 2015

Steel giant’s environmental records exposed

Earlier this week, the Vaal Environmental Justice Alliance formally released the long-sought Environmental Master Plan for the Vanderbijlpark Steel Works owned by international steel giant ArcelorMittal (AMSA). AMSA only handed over this Master Plan, a series of expert reports on the environmental and health impacts of the steel works compiled in 2003, in December 2014, after being ordered to do so by the Supreme Court of Appeal.

Melissa Fourie, Robyn Hugo and Nicole Löser

Opinion | 29 June 2015

Marikana Commission dodges compensation issue

What compensation should there be for the victims of the Marikana massacre? The answer given in Judge Ian Farlam's final report released by President Zuma on Thursday night differs substantially from the recommendations given by the Marikana Commission's evidence leaders.

Ashleigh Furlong and GroundUp staff

News | 26 June 2015

Court to decide if Operation Fiela is constitutional

Is Operation Fiela lawful? Judge Jan Hiemstra in the North Gauteng High Court will hear argument today from Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) that it isn’t.

GroundUp Staff

News | 23 June 2015

Army closes down Cape Town Station

On World Refugee Day this weekend, South African police, traffic officials, metro police, brand specialists, immigration officials and defence force members shut down Cape Town Station's taxi terminus as part of Operation Fiela. The four-hour operation brought commuters to a standstill as taxis were not allowed in or out on a busy Saturday morning. Dozens of foreign nationals were arrested.

Bernard Chiguvare and GroundUp Staff

News | 22 June 2015