“Our homes smell like sewage and rubbish” says resident By Lucas Nowicki Makhanda (formerly Grahamstown) residents are taking the Makana Municipality to court, accusing the City of negligence and inconsistent waste management. They are being represented by the Legal Resources Centre. They want the City to clear all illegal dumpsites, provide refuse bins and bags, and collect refuse regularly. A date...

Municipality must return land to 84-year-old pensioner because it didn’t obtain his consent, suggesting that parts of the Expropriation Act are unconstitutional By Tania Broughton Louis Nathan Langer was shocked to discover that the KwaDukuza Municipality had expropriated his land and source of income without his knowledge four years ago. In an order agreed to by the parties — and made...

“The thieves must be called to justice” says ABM deputy president By Nokulunga Majola Shack dweller movement Abahlali BaseMjondolo (ABM) led several grassroots organisations in a protest march through Durban’s streets. ABM is demanding that hundreds of millions of rands missing through government corruption be recovered and the guilty prosecuted. ABM wants the land invasion unit abolished and its members “called...

High Court judge says City of Cape Town tried to use bylaws “as a quick fix” to evict the Singabalapha group By Tania Broughton The City of Cape Town has been trying for a year to evict about 30 people from land in Observatory. The Western Cape High Court on Tuesday interdicted the City from eviciting the Singabalapha community without due...

The Grootboom case resulted in a landmark judgment that protects the rights of evicted residents. But 20 years later, the hopes Justice Zak Yacoob laid down are far from being realised. By Matthew Wilhelm-Solomon On 18 May 1999, bulldozers arrived on a farm called New Rust, outside Wallacedene in the Western Cape, and began demolishing the homes of its unlawful occupiers....

“The victims will lose trust in the social workers” By Liezl Human Activists say proposed amendments to the Domestic Violence Act could further discourage victims. It will extend the responsibility of mandatory reporting to authorities. Activists say this will likely affect confidentiality agreements between social workers and victims of domestic violence. Victims of domestic violence may think twice about getting help from...