On 4th December the Constitutional Court handed down a unanimous judgement in what has colloquially become known as the ‘foreign parents battle’. The apex court delivered its judgment in a dispute over sections of the Immigration Act and its regulations that prevented foreign parents from remaining in South Africa to care for their children after separating from a […]
On 1st December 2023 (ironically the same date marked the emancipation of slaves in the Cape in 1834) Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi announced an extension of the validity of the Lesotho Exemption Permit and the Zimbabwe Exemption Permit. The Lesotho permits were due to expire at the end of 2023 and affect somewhere in the region of […]
World Children’s Day is celebrated annually on 20th November. It is a global initiative promoting children’s rights, safety, education, health, protection and happiness. World Children’s Day was first established in 1954 as Universal Children’s Day. It is also the date in 1989 when the UN General Assembly adopted the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. This […]
Yesterday’s removal from office of the Public Protector marks an important, if regrettable, constitutional milestone. It is the first time in our democratic era that the head of one of the State Institutions Supporting Constitutional Democracy (the ‘Chapter 9 Institutions’) has been investigated by the National Assembly, found guilty of misconduct, and dismissed. Response – Protecting the Public […]
Some coincidences are simply too much of a stretch. Very few people will believe that the government’s decision to remit the sentences of 9 400 non-violent, short-term prisoners, starting today, just happened to coincide with the return to prison of former President Jacob Zuma, himself one such non-violent, short-term prisoner. Response – Another Blow to the Rule of […]
Given the nature of international diplomacy we will probably never know whether or not Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision not to attend the BRICS summit in Johannesburg next month was forced on him by the South African government, but it seems likely that this was the case. Response – A Vindication of the Rule of Law by […]
The recent incident in Johannesburg, in which Deputy-President Paul Mashatile’s police security detail viciously and unlawfully assaulted two motorists, has deservedly received a great deal of coverage. It has been pointed out that this was not an isolated incident – blue-light convoys are notorious for disregarding the rights of other-road users, and have long acted with a sense […]
On 8th June, the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) announced that the validity of all Zimbabwean Exemption Permits would be extended for a further six months. They will now expire on 31st December this year. The reason for the latest extension is the high number of applications being received by the DHA from current ZEP holders seeking alternate […]
On 25th May this year, the Department of Home Affairs approached the Constitutional Court to request a ‘revival of the order’ that the Court had issued in 2017 and which expired in June 2019. In 2017 the court ordered the DHA to amend aspects of the Immigration Act dealing, firstly, with detention of undocumented foreigners beyond the maximum […]
With the expiration date for the Zimbabwe Exemption Permits drawing steadily closer, and a silence from the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) about the possibility of a further extension, as well as the continued wait for the judgement in the High Court case on the same issue, there has been, amongst ZEP holders, a heightened anxiety, restiveness and […]
