Correctional Services says it has complied with the order and denies any wrongdoing 28 January 2019 By Ciaran Ryan Inmates at Johannesburg “Sun City” Medium B prison say prison authorities are violating a court order issued by Acting Judge SM Wentzel in June 2018 that ordered the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) to serve three meals properly spaced throughout the day. In January 2018 inmates complained to...

Constitutional Court to rule on 1982 legislation By Zoë Postman General Alfred Moyo, an activist in Makause informal settlement in the east of Johannesburg, is at the centre of a court case that challenges the constitutionality of part of the Intimidation Act of 1982. The application to have a section of the Act struck down was heard in the Constitutional Court on Tuesday...

This bill does not include the people, says Land Access Movement By Mary-Anne Gontsana The National Assembly has approved the Traditional and Khoi-San Leadership Bill (TKLB) much to the disappointment of several rural organisations. The bill, approved yesterday in Parliament, has been supported by the ANC and the UDM, but opposed by the DA, EFF and COPE. According to Stop The Bantustan Bill coalition,...

Residents name settlement “Bobani Village” after Nelson Mandela Bay mayor By Thamsanqa Mbovane A freeze on evictions has prompted hundreds of families to move onto open land in KwaNobuhle, Uitenhage, which they have named “Bobani Village” after Nelson Mandela Bay Mayor Mongameli Bobani. Residents say they moved because they are tired of renting houses or living in overcrowded houses. According to the municipality, about...

“I just want to do the right thing”, wife of Proexec owner tells court By Barbara Maregele The Western Cape High Court has granted an order compelling the owner of a Sea Point security company to pay outstanding provident fund contributions totalling at least R2.3 million. The company, Proexec Security Network, and its owner, Geoffrey Levy, failed to consistently pay contributions to the...

SJC general secretary is being prosecuted for contravening the Regulation of Gatherings Act By Thembela Ntongana The case against Social Justice Coalition (SJC) general secretary Axolile Notywala was postponed to 25 March in the Cape Town Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday. Notywala was arrested on 31 January outside the Cape Town Civic Centre where SJC and a number of residents, who had occupied City-owned land, were...

Over 4,000 people now occupy privately owned land in Schulphoek By Thembela Ntongana Over 200 people occupying private land in Schulphoek, Hermanus, picketed outside the Western Cape High Court on Tuesday, where eviction proceedings have been brought against them by the owners of the land, Cape Theme Parks and Cavcor. The case was postponed to 18 June to give time for the...

“It’s like any other type of work” By Ashraf Hendricks and GroundUp Staff Gavin Jacobs started his career in sex work in London. Running out of cash, he learnt about massage parlours though friends. Not wanting to return to Cape Town, his hometown, just yet, he decided to work at one. Gay, young and energetic, Jacobs partied hard and often. So he thought, “I might...

“It’s not an easy life but I have to do it to support my family back home” By Zoë Postman A community of waste pickers in Centurion are no longer facing eviction, at least not immediately. The Pretoria High Court has told the waste pickers, the City of Tshwane, and the owners of the property the waste pickers are living on to...

Pretoria High Court says application lacks merit and orders army to pay costs By Kimberly Mutandiro The Pretoria High Court on Friday dismissed an application for leave to appeal by the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and ordered the army to comply with previous court orders to accommodate evicted Marievale residents. The residents were forcefully evicted from their homes in the Marievale military base by the...