courts

Zimbabwe's top judge has called for elections slated for later this year to be violence-free, as ill-preparedness raised fears of a repeat of previously bloody polls.

Chief justice, Godfrey Chidyausiku, says that, "We add our voice to those who are calling for free and fair elections that are held in a violence-free atmosphere."

Chidyausiku is of the view that while the courts stand ready to hear cases relating to the forthcoming elections, he hopes that litigation if any, relating to the running of and the results emerging from the polls, will be very little.

The South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL) has opted not to oppose the interdict against the implementation of e-tolling.

Tolling on parts of Gauteng’s national highways was brought to a halt after the first phase of a court challenge that was brought by a group, including the Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance (OUTA).

OUTA chairperson, Wayne Duvenage, says that SANRAL was given 10 days to file an appeal against the ruling by Judge Bill Prinsloo that prevented tolling but failed to do so by the deadline on 15 May 2012.

Zimbabwe's justice minister, Patrick Chinamasa, has denounced a South African court's ruling ordering an investigation of those accused of torturing ZANU-PF opponents.

Chinamasa points out that, “The ruling brings the South African justice system into disrepute. No specifics have been identified, because they should have laid a blow-by-blow account of what crime has been committed.”

Two NGOs, Southern Africa Litigation Centre and Zimbabwe Exiles Forum, want South Africa to prosecute Zimbabwean officials accused of crimes against humanity.

The North Gauteng High Court will hear a landmark case on South Africa’s obligations as a signatory to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

According an article by Webster Zambara of the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation, the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights received a total of 10 cases, despite countless human rights violations across the continent.

Zambara says that even the deadline for an essay competition for law students in African universities to promote the court and its activities, has been extended from 31 January to 30 June because of too few takers.

The government insists that a proposed assessment of the Constitutional Court's judgments is not an attempt to undermine judicial independence.

Spokesperson, Jimmy Manyi, has been quoted as saying that, “We don't want to review the Constitutional Court, we want to review its powers."

Manyi also states that the assessment is an evaluation of the impact of the country’s jurisprudence on the democratisation process.