The rail agency was ordered to restore shelter to people it evicted from Cape Town Foreshore in August By Sandiso Phaliso The Passenger Rail Agency of South (PRASA) has been accused of contempt of court for failing to adhere to a Western Cape High Court ruling of 6 September to shelter families it illegally evicted in August from Transnet-owned land along Old Marine Drive...

Conference on hunger hears there’s more than enough food. Policy failures by both government and corporations are causing hunger. By Mike Loewe A conference that looked at hunger in South Africa, organised by Stellenbosch University’s Centre for Social Justice, was held last week. The Human Rights Commission’s Eastern Cape manager Dr Eileen Carter told the meeting it discovered that over...

The short answer You are supposed to pay UIF contributions until your employee stops working for you. The whole question Dear Athalie In April 2021, my domestic worker applied for a SASSA older person's grant. I then stopped contributing to her UIF because she would not be able to claim the benefits once she started receiving the grant. She kept working and officially retired...

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...