Magistrate's
case settled - 14 August
Judge Sharmaine Balton granted an order in the high court
yesterday confirming a settlement agreement, which effectively
ends a legal dispute between Pietermaritzburg magistrate Ashin
Singh and Justice authorities that has spanned almost a
decade. In terms of the order, Singh was effectively given
leave to withdraw his civil damages claim against the Justice
and Constitutional Development minister, with each party
agreeing to pay its own costs, but on stringent conditions
that effectively ban Singh from repeating or making fresh
allegations against officials whose names are listed in the
settlement agreement. The agreement provides that if Singh
reneges on the agreement, he can be held liable for the
state's costs. In exchange for Singh's "irrevocable
undertaking" and withdrawal of his application for leave
to appeal, the state also agreed to waive a recent punitive
cost order granted against Singh by Jacob Zuma trial Judge
Chris Nicholson. - Witness
website
Buses
battle still rages : new operator takes union to court -
27 July
Durban's beleaguered bus service is being held to ransom by a
labour union while thousands of commuters remain stranded.
Transnat Africa, the newly appointed operator of the municipal
bus service, will go to the Pietermaritzburg high court this
morning to seek an interdict against the Transport and Allied
Workers Union (Tawusa) for “withholding labour”.
Transnat wants to employ only the number of bus drivers it
needs for the limited service it has been contracted to
provide, but the union wants the company to employ all
1000-plus workers that were retrenched by the previous
operator. - Sowetan
website
Tansnat
wins interdict - 27 July
The Pietermaritzburg High Court has granted Tansnat,
Durban's new bus company, an interim interdict preventing
union Tawusa from withholding its labour. - East
Coast Radio blog
Union
ordered to end intimidation - 28 July
The Pietermaritzburg High Court granted an interdict
yesterday forbidding members of the Togetherness Amalgamated
Workers Union of SA (Tawusa) from intimidating workers
seeking jobs as drivers with Durban’s new bus operator,
Transnat Africa. This has paved the way for the interrupted
bus service to resume operations this week. - Business
Day website
See
also :
City
Manager's Newsletter : Durban Transport - 27 July
Boswell
could face criminal charges - 7 August
Environment MEC Lydia Johnson has questioned whether
zookeeper Brian Boswell is "fit and proper" to be
granted permits to run his zoo, lion park and circus, and
has ordered the local conservation authority, Ezemvelo KZN
Wildlife, to consider laying criminal charges against him.
She also criticised Ezemvelo officials for not doing things
by the book and set aside certain conditions it attached to
Boswell's permits, saying they "fell short of the
law". - IOL website
Reprieve
for circus boss over 'cruelty' - 8 August
Zoo and circus owner Brian Boswell, accused by wildlife
authorities of animal cruelty, is off the hook - for now.
Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, which alleged that Boswell kept
animals at his Camperdown Lion Park and Zoo in "intolerable
and appalling conditions", was found on Thursday to
have flouted procedure when it imposed restrictions on his
permits and licences.
Lydia Johnson, the MEC for agriculture, environmental
affairs and rural development, ordered that the restricted
permits issued to Boswell be set aside and re-issued.
But Johnson, concerned about the "disturbing picture"
of "cruel and inhuman" animal neglect, has ordered
Ezemvelo to lay criminal complaints against Boswell. - The
Times website