High
Court order intensifies Nafcoc leadership tussle - 23 November
One of the two factions currently jockeying for the leadership of the
National African Federated Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Nafcoc)
claims it has not been unseated. In a statement yesterday, the faction
headed by Lawrence Mavundla said it had dissuaded "former executive
members of the national executive from waging a disinformation
campaign". This followed Friday's stand-off at Nafcoc's Sandton
offices, where the other faction headed by Buhle Mthethwa ordered
Mavundla's faction out of the organisation's headquarters, following a
court order granted to Mthethwa by the High Court in Pretoria. - Business
Report website
Tempers
flare in Nafcoc battle - 29 November
The fortunes of the two warring factions of the National African Federated
Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Nafcoc) took different turns this week.
The group led by Buhle Mthethwa failed in its court bid on Thursday to
stop a conference organised by the camp headed by Lawrence Mavundla from
taking place in Ekurhuleni. The conference was scheduled to end on
Saturday. The North Gauteng High Court dismissed the application with
costs after it ruled it would be impossible to stop the conference, which
was to start on the same day. - Fin24
website
Farm
invasions illegal : SA - 28 November
The South African government has accepted that the ongoing land invasions
are unlawful, and that rulings of the Sadc Tribunal were binding. This
followed a High Court application by farmers' rights organisation
Agriforum, which filed an urgent application seeking to stop the signing
of the Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (Bippa) on
Friday. Agriforum represents more than 200 South African farmers in
Zimbabwe and some of them have been forced to leave the country. South
African lawyer Willie Spies, who instituted the urgent court proceedings
on behalf of the organisation confirmed the SA position on Zimbabwe's
controversial land reform programme. - allAfrica
website
Els
takes the stand - 26 November
When Jurie Els met child performer Robbie Klay for the first time, Els,
"like every second man in South Africa", had been in love with
blonde singer Patricia Lewis, he said in court evidence yesterday. Els
took the stand in his defence at his Pretoria High Court sex trial. He has
pleaded not guilty to three charges in which he is accused of molesting
Klay when the then child star was between 11 and 16. - IOL
website
Els
a free man - 4 December
Afrikaans singer Jurie Els was today acquitted on all charges of sexually
molesting his former protege Robbie Klay as a child. Els said he had
already forgiven Klay but believed the young singer "needed
help". The judge said although Els had not impressed the court and
portrayed Klay as virtually an imbecile while blowing his own horn, there
was no reason to reject his evidence that nothing had happened between him
and Klay. - IOL website
Cigarette
firm opts for courts - 3 December
British American Tobacco of South Africa has applied to the Pretoria high
court to overrule Parliament and allow it to keep advertising cigarettes
to teenagers.
In 2001, cigarettes companies were banned from advertising on billboards,
in cinemas and on radio.
Last year, Parliament amended the Tobacco
Products Control Act
to outlaw the "smoking parties" organised by the industry. - Sowetan
website
Judge
orders reinstatement of soldiers - 9 December
The Pretoria High Court on Wednesday ordered the reinstatement of four
dismissed soldiers, their union said. The court ordered Minister of
Defence and Military Veterans Lindiwe Sisulu to give their jobs back,
pending a review application against the decision to dismiss them. The
South African National Defence Union (Sandu) welcomed the ruling. - IOL
website
'Advocate
Barbie' Case
Judge
slams Visser's defence - 9 December
A Pretoria High Court acting judge was visibly unhappy yesterday as he
once again had to postpone the sex trial of former advocate Cezanne
Visser, who was due to be sentenced this week. Her defence team was not
ready to proceed as their experts were still preparing their
pre-sentencing reports. It is understood the defence will call two or
three experts. Advocate Johann Engelbrecht SC told the court he hoped
his experts would be ready to proceed on February 8. Sentencing
proceedings will run to February 12. - IOL
website