Dear judge – why this highbrow language?
THE name of the case whetted my appetite: ‘Tasty Treats’. And judgment in this matter had been given by a relatively new judge of the Swaziland Supreme Court, Esther Ota. A good chance of finding some delicious morsel of jurisprudence I hoped, something that offered a...
Loan shark locust, fined R1-million, ignores order to shut down
WE had no warning when the locusts came: just a dark dust cloud that turned out not to be dust, and a rustling noise that grew louder and louder. They covered everything, the street and my garden, within seconds. The hair on your arms stands erect with horror as you...
Why Cape Times editor removed – Surve’s letter to staff
The executive chairman of Independent Media South Africa, Dr Iqbal Surve, has issued a year-end letter to staff. In it he explains why he has acted against the editor of the Cape Times, Alide Dasnois. She was removed from her job late last week, prompting intense...
SA President has power to confer SC status on advocates ConCourt rules today
Senior advocates may rest easy: the Constitutional Court has ruled that they wear their Silk status quite legitimately. Or at least, for the moment they may rest easy. For Justice Bess Nkabinde, writing on behalf of a unanimous court, made it plain that the only issue...
Investigate Zim torture, top court tells SAP
In a hugely important judgment for international human rights, the Supreme Court of Appeal has today ordered that the South African Police must investigation alleged systematic torture by Zimbabwe officials against political opponents in Harare. The court doesn’t tell...
First deafblind person to receive OBE is a South African priest
IN just a few hours a man who made news when he was barred from boarding a plane in South Africa, will be invested with the OBE at Windsor Castle. Behind the two events lies the same set of facts: Cyril Axelrod, a deaf and blind Catholic priest, travels...
Soldier, blinded by HIV-AIDS, forced to quit army without a hearing
LESOTHO has never been top of my list of countries with a sparkling human rights record. That’s despite its strong showing over corruption associated with the Katse Dam project. So I was delighted this week to find a new judgment in which the high court there, sitting...
Nine years & 10 days later judge gives her decision: justice delayed?
WHO would have thought that Namibians led such a hectic life? All this time I had imagined they enjoyed a laid-back approach you might associate with the rural parts of South Africa. Wrong, obviously. The pace of life there must be way more demanding than in, say,...
Record-breaking Tiger, with prey, outside Smithfield, Free State
Still out of breath from an early morning big game hunting action adventure on a farm just outside Smithfield, south east Free State. It started out quite calmly when my dogs and I went running on a friend’s farm. At our usual turn-around place we all ran on further –...
Bosses must investigate ‘racism’ claims before bringing charges – here’s why
ALLEGE someone is a racist at work and they are as good as dead. It’s an indelible mark of Cain in modern South Africa. That’s why extra care should be taken when charges of racism are involved. Even when you’re cleared of such charges your life can literally be...