Hlophe in judicial hot water: “apprehension of bias”
Controversial Western Cape Judge President John Hlophe is back in the spotlight following his contested handling of a High Court matter involving allegations of a multi-million rand fraud. One side in the dispute claimed they had a ‘reasonable apprehension’ that the...
They saw … and they did nothing
NEXT time I read of a woman murdered by a relative, close friend or partner, I won’t Tweet my outrage or FB friends moaning about the “scourge” of femicide. Instead, I will think carefully about whether I might have looked away when intervening could have saved a...
Dealing with corrupt legal high fliers
IT’S New Year resolution season and if lawyers and judges are, like the rest of us, contemplating what improvements to make in 2017, I have a suggestion. Why doesn’t the South African legal community, from judges down, band together to ensure that over-reaching in...
Duty of care? – What’s that?
WHEN Ramatharee Pather and her lawyers launched a claim against Gauteng’s MEC for health, Qedani Mahlangu, the last thing they would have expected was an answer from the state re-writing legal history. Pather’s action relates to what she alleges was a botched...
Bad week for justice in Namibia
A trying month so far for justice in Namibia, with a four-fold fiasco in the courts that has left egg on the face of the judiciary as well as the country’s top anti-corruption agency. Not to mention a judgment showing that the body responsible for disciplining members...
“Facially unacceptable” after shooting, so top employee told to go
FROM the very first paragraph it’s clear this is no ordinary case. The opening remarks of acting labour court judge Sean Snyman, sitting in Johannesburg, were these: “This matter was born out of a tragic event, which, instead of being resolved on the basis of...
Raped child’s evidence leads to landmark labour court decision
INITIALLY it seems strange perhaps: a child rape case combined with a dismissal dispute at the Labour Court. Yet it has resulted in a landmark decision that could benefit many vulnerable witnesses in future. The case concerns a young woman, raped by her police officer...
What did Icasa say to the SABC?
IMMEDIATELY after Icasa’s watershed media conference on the SABC’s ban on footage of violent protest, conflicting reports emerged of exactly what Icasa had said. According to some reports Icasa “recommended” the SABC lift its ban, others said the broadcaster was...
A little girl’s birthday and the shame of rape in South Africa
CONFIRMATION this week that 75 year old former South African tennis star Bob Hewitt must serve time in prison for rape and sexual assault was hailed as a victory for the women involved. Their courage in speaking about events of many years ago, when they were young...
Lesotho’s top judge not above the law says court
FIVE judges of Lesotho’s highest court have laid it on the line for no less a person than the head of that same court: not even an exalted judicial position shields you from facing prosecution or an impeachment tribunal, they say. Their keenly awaited decision...