KEITIKILE JAMPE V MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS AND 5 OTHERS CASE NO: 70333/17

On Tuesday 24 October 2017, the Gauteng Provincial High Court in Pretoria will hear legal arguments of a Botswana national in a bid to secure his release from unlawful detention and prevent his extradition back to Botswana, without first obtaining assurance from the Botswana government of non-capital punishment. Keitkile Jampe faces the possibility of the death penalty if convicted for  a crime allegedly committed in Botswana.

Jampe was arrested and has been detained since 14 August 2016 as an illegal foreigner, in excess of the 120 days statutory limit.

South Africa’s Constitution protects the right to human dignity, the right to life and the right not to be treated or punished in a cruel, inhuman or degrading way and forbids the South African government knowingly to directly or indirectly, in any way impose or facilitate the imposition of such punishment. These principles have been established through similar cases of Minister of Home Affairs and Others v Tsebe and Others, Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development and Another v Tsebe and Others (CCT 110/11, CCT 126/11) [2012] ZACC 16 and Samotse and Another v Minister of Home Affairs and Others (60113/2014) [2014] ZAGPPHC 1001.

The Department of Home Affairs as the First and Second Respondent have filed a Notice to Oppose this application.

 For more information, please contact:

Kayan Leung

Head: Detention Monitoring Unit

Lawyers for Human Rights

078 302 7887

OR

Carol Mohlala

Media and Communications Manager

Lawyers for Human Rights

079 238 9826