All Press Releases
9 June 2009
Mr Thulani Maseko, a Swazi human rights lawyer and alumnus of the Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, was arrested on Wednesday 3 June and was on 4 June charged with subversive activities under section 5 of the Sedition and Subversive Activities Act (the Act). If convicted, he risks 20 years imprisonment. Mr Maseko was arrested in connection with a statement he made on Workers' Day...
9 June 2009
We, the 40 representatives of African civil society organisations (including the media), the legal profession, other relevant organisations, and concerned individuals and academics (see the list below), participated in a meeting in Cape Town on 11 May 2009 to consider the implications of the African Union's recent decisions on universal jurisdiction and the International Criminal Court (ICC) in...
26 May 2009
Today the NorthGauteng High Court ordered the Department of Land Affairs (DLA) to return thefarm previously allocated to and occupied by Ms. Veronica Moos. Ms VeronicaMoos was allocated the farm under PLAS (Proactive Land Acquisition Strategy) in2007. The strategy was implemented by the DLA and aimed to redistribute landfor agricultural purposes and assist emerging farmers. Despite MsMoos's...
19 May 2009
In a strongly worded judgment, the North Gauteng High Court has ordered the permanent closure of the detention facility for undocumented foreign nationals on the military grounds near Musina, commonly known as "SMG".
In February 2009, LHR launched an urgent High Court application seeking an order for the closure of the facility due to a number of factors, including the extreme...
14 May 2009
On 10 May 2009, the day the Department of Home Affairs welcomed its new Minister, Home Affairs illegally deported an asylum seeker to the Democratic Republic of Congo-returning him to face the same persecution and grave risk that caused him to flee his home and seek refuge in South Africa.
The deportation is a blatant violation of South Africa's domestic and international legal obligations,...
13 May 2009
On 8 May 2009, the Supreme Court of Appeal upheld the appeal of the Mkhondeni community in Pietermaritzburg and thereby prevented their eviction.
The court further ordered that the Msunduzi Municipality to be joined to future proceedings. The Municipality was also directed to file a report by the 30 June 2009, on what steps it has taken to provide alternative land or emergency accommodation...
9 May 2009
One year after residents of Alexandra turned on their neigbours unleashing a chain of violence across the country, foreigners in South Africa face continued threats of violence. little has been done by the South African authorities to address the root causes of the violence and as a result the threats of violence against foreigners remain real.
6 May 2009
Lawyers for Human Rights welcomes the announcement by the Department of Home Affairs that a new temporary 90 day temporary visa has been introduced for migrants from Zimbabwe. This visa regime will encourage Zimbabweans to travel by regular means between SA and Zimbabwe.
In recent years travel between SA and Zimbabwe has been difficult due to the strict visa conditions which South Africa...
21 April 2009
Despite the announcement by the Department of Home Affairs of a special dispensation for Zimbabwean nationals in South Africa, SAPS officers continue to arrest and detain hundreds of Zimbabweans in the Musina area.
In recognition of the humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe, the Department of Home Affairs has finally heeded the call for a special exemption permit for Zimbabwean nationals who often...
15 April 2009
Lawyers for Human Rights has been shocked by the recent threats of Ms Lulu Xingwana, the Minister of Land Affairs and her apparent "use it or lose it" land distribution policy. LHR is representing Ms Veronica Moos, a beneficiary of the land redistribution policy, who has recently seen her occupation of her farm personally violated by the Minister. It appears that the Minister has used...