Stop ‘re-cycling’ of magistrates
Three issues were at the forefront of discussion when the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Ronald Lamola, attended the AGM of the Judicial Officers Association of South Africa (Joasa) this weekend. Why was ‘recycling’ approved when acting magistrates had...
‘Over-concentration of power in hands of Chief Justice’ – Joasa president
The Judicial Officers Association of South Africa (Joasa) has thrown down the gauntlet to South Africa's Chief Justice, Mogoeng Mogoeng, saying there was ‘an over-concentration of power’ in the Office of the Chief Justice and calling for a symposium to establish a...
Uganda’s courts ‘too westernised’ to handle customary, cultural issues – judge
Prominent Ugandan high court judge Ssekaana Musa has told litigants in dispute over traditional leadership that they should ‘always’ refer such quarrels ‘to the King or traditional or cultural leaders’. Judge Musa was considering two disputes about traditional...
Judges miss chance to condemn ‘barbaric’ custom
Three women judges of Zambia' Court of Appeal have dismissed a young man's appeal against his sentence: 30 years' imprisonment with hard labour for violently raping his 12-year-old cousin three times. He claimed he took the girl as part of a Tonga custom in terms of...
Lesotho’s PM threatens top judge with second impeachment
Judicial politics in Lesotho, highly fraught for some time, must now be the despair of the continent. For the fourth time in just a few years, a cloud hangs over a top judge of this mountain kingdom, with threats of suspension and impeachment. The latest development...
Namibian Minister quits after corruption conviction
It is not common to read of a high court finding a government minister guilty of corruption but, this week, what might be unthinkable in many countries came to pass in Namibia. The Minister of Education, Arts and Culture was convicted under anti-corruption laws for...
Uganda’s human rights law takes enforcement to new level
What is surely one of the most significant laws passed by the present administration in Uganda is being used for the first time in a pending court case – and the police officers involved in the case must be worried about the outcome as well as its possible impact on...
Foreigner’s health issues fail to halt deportation
How bad must a country's medical facilities be before the UK courts bar the return of an illegal foreigner? It is a question UK judges are increasingly having to grapple with, most recently in the case of 'PF', a Nigerian with a lengthy criminal record for which the...
Protect judicial officers – Judge President Hlophe
Western Cape Judge President John Hlophe has urged that judicial officers should be given greater security as their lives are often at risk. Speaking last night at the opening function of the African bloc of the International Association of Judges (IAJ) meeting taking...
High-ranking accused fail in bid to remove foreign judges
When Judge Charles Hungwe from Zimbabwe arrived in Lesotho earlier this year to start work on a series of controversial trials, he was given a warm reception in the local media. But matters have changed since then with the accused in some of the cases over which he...