Programme News
4 November 2013
(News)
Judgment was reserved by the Supreme Court of Appeal on Friday in the appeal hearing on South Africa’s obligation under international law to probe alleged atrocities by officials in Zimbabwe.
A full Bench heard there was no suggestion from any party that the South African police should go and investigate alleged crimes against humanity on Zimbabwean soil.
“Do an investigation here,...
1 November 2013
(News)
In September, an application was brought against the Limpopo provincial government and several departments, submitting that refugees and asylum seekers legally in the country were "entitled to trade and operate business to earn a living in circumstances where they had no other means of livelihood".
Foreign shopkeepers are taking their battle to run businesses freely in townships...
27 October 2013
(News)
The arms deal commission has moved to sack eight of its lawyers because, sources say, they are not considered to be loyal to Judge Willie Seriti.
Eight staffers – two senior legal researchers, an assistant legal researcher, four legal practitioners and the head of legal research – were given letters on Thursday saying their contracts would not be renewed.
The commission says in its...
22 October 2013
(News)
More than 170 foreign nationals in Limpopo whose spaza shops have been closed by police in the past few months - as they do not have trading licences or say they have found it impossible to obtain these from local authorities - have failed in their bid to get the Pretoria High Court to come to their aid.
Judge Natvarlal Ranchod turned down the application by the Somali Association of South Africa...
22 October 2013
(News)
A "one-sided approach" at the arms deal commission is leaving reams of contestable evidence unchecked and unchallenged, arms deal "critics" say.
The commission is divided into two "phases": phase one consists of evidence mainly given by government officials, including the defence department and former ministers. Phase two consists mainly of arms deal "critics...
15 October 2013
(News)
The North Gauteng High Court’s interpretation of the Implementation of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Act has set a precedent, with South African authorities now required to probe allegations of crimes against humanity, even those unconnected to SA.
This is the submission by the national director of public prosecutions (NDPP), who is applying for leave to appeal...
15 October 2013
(News)
Three arms deal campaigners who have been subpoenaed to testify before the Seriti Commission of Inquiry have warned that the credibility of the process was in serious danger unless significant changes were made to the way in which the commission operated.
Former ANC MP Andrew Feinstein, Paul Holden (author of The Arms Deal) and Hennie van Vuuren (former director of the Institute...
15 October 2013
(News)
As the arms deal commission in Pretoria resumes its inquiry this week into the 1999 arms deal, three high-profile witnesses represented by Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) have raised serious concerns about a lack of openness at the commission.
In a statement on Monday, Paul Holden, Hennie van Vuuren and Andrew Feinstein – who have all published books on the arms deal and Feinstein was an ANC...
14 October 2013
(Press release)
The Arms Deal is the most significant scandal – both politically and economically – of the post-apartheid era. Not only has it dominated news cycles and formed the subject of numerous books, it has been directly responsible for the emasculation of Parliament, the inappropriate politicisation of the prosecuting authority and the outright destruction of the Directorate of Special...
14 October 2013
(News)
A fully transparent process is required at the Seriti Commission of Inquiry to expose alleged corruption and abuses of power linked to the arms deal, the Right2Know (R2K) campaign said on Monday.
“R2K is concerned by reports of attempts by the Seriti Commission to limit the public's right to know,” the lobby group said in a statement.
“This includes the secrecy...