Pilot programme rolled out to help recipients of the Social Relief of Distress grant to verify their identity By Marecia Damons Beneficiaries are struggling with identity verification for the R370-a-month Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant, causing delays and access issues. The process, which involves facial recognition through an SMS link, has been further complicated by delays at the Department of...

The short answer It depends whether there is a clause in your mother's will that precludes inheritance being part of the beneficiary's joint estate. The whole question Dear Athalie My mother passed away two years ago, leaving my father and nephew alone in the house. Last year, my father met a woman who he has since married, even though she is from a...

Wild Coast communities and environmental organisations have now approached the Constitutional Court By Tania Broughton The Constitutional Court has been asked to put an end to the exploration right granted to Shell to do seismic testing off the Wild Coast. Wild Coast communities and environmental justice organisations have asked the Court to rule against a decision by the Supreme Court of...

The short answer No. You only qualify for South African citizenship if at least one parent is/was a South African citizen or has permanent resident status. The whole question Dear Athalie I was born in South Africa to undocumented Zimbabwean parents. I am 18 years old and want to study here. Am I entitled to citizenship because I was born in South Africa? The...

Shell still has one more shot at seismic exploration authorisation By Tania Broughton The Supreme Court of Appeal has dismissed an appeal by Shell, Impact Africa and the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy, to overturn a High Court ruling that halted an seismic survey off the Wild Coast. Dismissing the application with costs, the court said community participation had been...

The short answer Yes, but only with the mother's permission can an application be made to the High Court. The whole question Dear Athalie My girlfriend and I weren't together when she fell pregnant, but we were always on good terms. Her family came to mine and insisted that we don't pay damages, so we agreed. After the baby was born, I was not...

The short answer Different municipalities have their own policies. Check with yours and if you can apply, discuss installing a pre-paid meter with your landlord. The whole question Dear Athalie I am a pensioner renting a granny bedsitter on a property shared with my landlord. I'm worried about how much my landlord is charging me for water and electricity. He charges me R3...

Parking lots in Cape Town’s city centre should be used for affordable housing, says Ndifuna Ukwazi By Marecia Damons Housing activists in Cape Town handed over 12 additional applications to the Department of Public Works for state-owned land to be released for affordable housing. They had already identified 32 pieces of land in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape. They want...

The short answer Yes, but you will need a Temporary Identity Certificate from Home Affairs The long answer The Electoral Commission says that if you are still waiting for your new ID book from Home Affairs, you can apply for a Temporary Identity Certificate from Home Affairs, which will be valid on Election Day They say that you can’t vote with a Temporary...

The short answer You need to register as indigent to receive free municipal services. The whole question Dear Athalie I read in one of your articles that indigent people are allowed 6,000 litres of water. How does that work and how can I apply? I live in eThekwini Municipality. The long answer The Free Basic Water (FBW) policy of 6,000 litres a month was established...