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SERI presenting at UN celebration of the entry into force of the OP-ICESCR (10 May 2013).

On 10 May 2013, Jackie Dugard will be presenting at a United Nations (UN) event in New York to celebrate the entry into force of the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (OP-ICESCR). The event is co-hosted by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), NGO Coalition for the OP-ICESCR and the International Network for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ESCR-Net). Jackie will speak on "Reasonableness – Exploring the Relationship between Domestic Justiciability of ESCR and the OP-ICESCR". Read more on the event here.

  • Read more on the Campaign for the Ratification and Implementation of the Optional Protocol to the ICESCR here.
  • Watch a video celebrating the OP-ICESCR entry into force (featuring Jackie Dugard, SERI senior researcher) here.

Mayor of Joburg warned to house poor or face being held in contempt of court (3 May 2013).

On 3 May 2013, the Johannesburg High Court directed the Executive Mayor, City Manager and Director of Housing for the City of Johannesburg to personally explain why the City has not acted to provide shelter to the homeless, over 18 months after a Constitutional Court decision requiring it to do so. They must also take all the steps necessary to provide shelter to the 201 occupiers of Chung Hua Mansions at 191 Jeppe Street within two months. If they do not, they could be held in contempt, and be handed a fine or face jail time.

In granting the residents' application, Judge Satchwell said that the City could not simply "throw its hands up in horror" every time it had to house people about to be evicted. She also ordered the City to report on what it has done to respond to the Blue Moonlight judgment more generally. The report, which must be provided by 18 May 2013, must set out what budget the City has allocated to provide shelter to the residents and other poor people facing eviction, and whether it had set up a specific department to deal with people facing homelessness.

  • Full SERI press release (3 May 2013) here.
  • Read the judgment (3 May 2013) here and more on the Hlophe case here.

SERI discusses protest and criminal justice system on Radio Today (29 April 2013).

On 11 April 2013, SERI's senior researcher Kate Tissington was featured on the ProBono Law show on Radio Today, hosted by Patrick Bracher. Kate spoke about SERI's work on political space, specifically around protest and the criminal justice system. She outlined some of the cases in which SERI is involved, including the Marikana Commission and the Primrose and Thembelihle cases.

  • Listen to the podcast of the show (11 April 2013) here.

Minister of Police to pay damages to Abahlali members for police brutality (22 April 2013).

On 22 April 2013, the Durban High Court ordered the Minister of Police to pay a total of R165 000 in damages to two members of shackdwellers’ movement Abahlali baseMjondolo - Sbu Zikode and Philani Zungu – and one resident of the Kennedy Road informal settlement. The order, made by agreement, comes after officers from Sydenham Police Station illegally arrested and assaulted Zungu while he and Zikode were travelling to a radio debate with the then KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Housing, Mike Mabuyakhulu, in September 2006. Other officers from Sydenham Police Station then illegally shot a woman at the Kennedy Road informal settlement. The woman was part of a crowd which had gathered to demonstrate against the arrest of Zikode and Zungu.

  • Read the SERI and Abahlali baseMjondolo media statement here.
  • Read more the case here.

Written submissions filed in Jele electricity matter (17 April 2013).

SERI has filed written submissions in the Jele case, in which we represent 80 tenants of a building in inner city Johannesburg in a hearing before the Gauteng Rental Housing Tribunal. Their complaint concerns the legality of a “service charge” levied by the landlord against them on their electricity accounts. This amount is over and above their consumption of their electricity. The first hearing was held on 20 February 2013, where the matter was postponed to 8 May. Read more on the case here.

  • Written submissions (15 April 2013) here.