There was no evidence to justify Judge Cassim Sardiwalla’s order, says court By Tania Broughton The Supreme Court of Appeal has set aside an order by the Pretoria High Court on the use of ivermectin for Covid patients. The High Court had made an order compelling the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) to report back to the court every...

Payments delayed by means testing processes By Marecia Damons Payments for the new cycle of the Covid R350-a-month grant will be made from mid-June, according to deputy director-general of the Department of Social Development Brenda Sibeko. The Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant, introduced in May 2020, was due to come to an end in March 2022 but was extended in February this year to...

Following a meeting with organisations last week, the presidency acknowledged the impact the grant has had in reducing poverty and hunger By Masego Mafata Civil society organisations met the President and relevant Ministers to plead for the R350 Covid Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant to be extended beyond the state of disaster. They want the president to set up a...

Asylum application backlog set to grow, with Refugee Reception Offices closed since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic By Tariro Washinyira Refugees who arrived in South Africa after March 2020 have had no way to apply for asylum status. Accumulating new applications will put further pressure on attempts to clear an already huge backlog of asylum claims. A UNHCR-funded joint project...

Covid-19 triggered a plan to move families from overcrowded Dunoon informal settlements, but more than a year later, they’re still there By Peter Luhanga The Racing Park Developers’ Association wants to overturn the sale of industrial land to the Western Cape Human Settlements Department. The association has already unsuccessfully appealed against the rezoning of the land for mixed-use housing of 1,500...

Minister Motshekga and eight provincial education MECs in contempt of court, says NGO By Tania Broughton Millions of children depend on the national school feeding scheme for a daily meal, but a significant number of them are not getting fed. Last year, the court ordered the education authorities to develop practical plans to rectify this situation and to report back to...

“It is untenable that the poorest and most vulnerable children should have to foot the bill for budget reallocations” says Katharine Hall By Liezl Human Children’s Institute is asking Parliament to increase the Child Support Grant by at least R10 in October. The organisation says the current grant amount of R460 is too little to cover the cost of minimum basic...

Dozens of farm workers complain of difficulties accessing UIF during Covid-19 lockdown By Liezl Human Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi has promised that inspectors will soon be visiting farms where workers’ rights are being violated. He was responding to dozens of complaints by farm workers in the Western Cape attending an indaba. The event was hosted by Women on Farms. Labour department inspectors...

Judge Desai found that South African Human Rights Commission monitors trying to enter the site were acting lawfully By James Stent The Western Cape High Court has criticised the City of Cape Town for its treatment of human rights monitors at its camp for homeless people in Strandfontein. The court also dismissed interdicts granted to the City last year which prevented...

“Government appears to be leveraging the pandemic to suppress dissent” By Stanley Malematja This month, the Ministry of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) published updated regulations with amendments to the December and January adjusted alert level three lockdown. A number of measures aimed at preventing the spread of Covid-19 were relaxed, including bans on gatherings at faith-based institutions. Yet, there have been...