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...

The Supreme Court of Appeal has ruled the sale of the site for private development was lawful By Tania Broughton The sale of the Tafelberg property in Sea Point for private development is lawful, the Supreme Court of Appeal has ruled. Housing activists wanted the site to be developed for social housing. The court said there was no law which dictated...

The short answer You can approach the School Governing Body and negotiate a revised repayment plan. The whole question Dear Athalie I am a single parent under debt review. I applied for school fee exemption last year because I was unable to pay the required amount every month. I told them I would pay the school fees in December after I got my annual...

Pickets outside Standard Bank will continue, says Extinction Rebellion By Masego Mafata About 80 climate activists picketed outside the Standard Bank head office in Rosebank, Johannesburg, on Wednesday morning. The picket follows the arrest of an activist on Friday 8 March, the second arrest in five months. The picketers are calling on the bank to stop funding fossil fuel projects. About 80...

The short answer Your UIF and provident fund money should be unaffected. How you left the company affects whether you can claim your money now. The whole question Dear Athalie The company I worked for was liquidated and the owner is nowhere to be found. How does this affect my UIF and provident fund? The long answer I have bolded certain points in my reply...

The short answer There are a few ways you can do this, but it must be within three years of the arrest. The whole question Dear Athalie My friends and I were wrongfully arrested by SAPS and detained for four months in 2018. I have the charge sheet and all the details, but I don't know how or where to submit a complaint...

Judges question City of Cape Town about eviction of Bromwell Street tenants By Masego Mafata The City of Cape Town appeared before the Constitutional Court on Tuesday in a case concerning the eviction of tenants from Bromwell Street, Woodstock. Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga asked the City whether the planned eviction resembled the forced removals from District Six during apartheid. Ndifuna Ukwazi, on...

Minister Motsoaledi wanted leave to appeal a ruling that declared the termination of the Zimbabwean permit programme unlawful, unconstitutional and invalid By Tania Broughton The Supreme Court of Appeal has dismissed a bid by the Minister of Home Affairs to appeal a ruling that the termination of the Zimbabwean Exemption Permit programme was unlawful, unconstitutional and invalid. The court ruled there...