All Press Releases
9 December 2010
Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) jointly and on behalf of a collective of civil society organisations, has submitted a complaint to the Office of the Public Protector over the refusal by the Department of Home Affairs to extend the deadline for new applications to the Zimbabwe Documentation Project. Although these organisations were hopeful that the Minister of Home Affairs would...
6 December 2010
Lawyers for Human Rights is an independent human rights organisation with more than thirty years experience in human rights activism and public interest litigation in South Africa. We offer an exciting and challenging work environment covering a wide range of human rights and social justice work.
LHR is seeking candidates with a commitment to social justice and equality to apply for the...
3 December 2010
Over the past year, the Minister of Human Settlements, Tokyo Sexwale, has been praised for his energy in tackling the housing crisis. He recently signed service delivery agreements with his nine MECS for Outcome 8 of the presidential outcomes - sustainable human settlements and improved quality of household life – and he has been very vocal on what actions will accompany these agreements,...
26 November 2010
On 23 November 2010, the Republic of Iraq deposited the 20th instrument of ratification for the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances to the Secretary General of the United Nations. Iraq becomes the 20th State to ratify this treaty. Its historic accession means that the Convention will enter into force on 23 December 2010, 30 days after the 20th...
24 November 2010
PRESS RELEASE - 24 November 2010
After more than ten weeks in detention at OR Tambo International Airport, the Supreme Court of Appeal today overturned a decision of the Pretoria High Court and ordered the immediate release of two Somali refugees - who were being deported by Namibia via South Africa to war-torn Somalia. They are being released tomorrow morning.
The Supreme...
9 November 2010
From today, refugees and asylum seekers will again be able to access their bank accounts using their refugee and asylum seeker permits issued by the Department of Home Affairs. LHR will seek an order by consent in the South Gauteng High Court directing that such permits should be accepted.
In May 2010, the Financial Intelligence Service (the “FIC”) issued a...
13 October 2010
Press Statement Annette Lovemore DA I The pending legal claims of R6.862 billion against the Department of Home Affairs have been well publicised since the release of the department's 2009/10 annual report during last week. However, what the annual report does not tell the South African public is how much has been spent by the Department on defending legal challenges and on paying the costs of...
9 September 2010
Yesterday the Pretoria High Court granted an urgent interim order interdicting the Department of Home Affairs, ACSA, and Analytical Risk Management (a private detention facility) from deporting, or in any way facilitating the removal of two Somali refugees, who were being deported from Namibia to Somalia, and who were at the time transiting through OR Tambo Airport.
Lawyers for Human Rights (...
7 September 2010
In a meeting held on the 6th September 2010 with civil society organisations the Department of Home Affairs clarified their position on the “Zimbabwean Documentation Project”. According to the Home Affairs Deputy Director General, Jackie Mackay, there is a plan to document Zimbabweans who otherwise would not have qualified for permits in terms of the Immigration laws. This would...
7 September 2010
Comments by Minister Dlamini Zuma: Thank you and good afternoon ladies and gentlemen of the media. We thought we should just explain because we thought the matter may not have been properly understood. You will recall that in April 2009 the previous Minister of Home Affairs announced that there was a moratorium on the deportation of Zimbabweans and there would be a special dispensation...