law

Four men believed to be linked to several robberies at the TLC Children’s Home in Eikenhof, south of Joburg, were arrested on Tuesday after police received information from local residents.

Last Wednesday, three teenagers were abducted from the children’s home after a hijacked City of Joburg ambulance was used to gain entry onto the property.

The boys were forced into the ambulance, taken to a remote location, beaten and robbed of their possessions, including their shoes and cellphones.

The National Prosecuting Authority has accepted the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court’s decision to grant bail to University of Witwatersrand student leader Mcebo Dlamini.

“As the NPA‚ we welcome that court’s decision and we believe that we were given a fair chance to respond as the respondent in the matter and we therefore accept the ruling‚” said NPA’s spokesperson Phindi Louw on Wednesday.

She was speaking to TMG Digital outside Court 13 where Fees Must Fall leader‚ Dlamini‚ was granted R2000 bail after spending three weeks in custody.

UCT student activist Athabile Nonxuba faces a prison sentence of 15 years if convicted on a charge of robbery during Fees Must Fall protests, the Cape Town Magistrate's Court heard on Tuesday.

Following the withdrawal of charges against Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan, Freedom Under Law and the Helen Suzman Foundation will no longer be pursuing their case against the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).
 
Last week the two organisations served an urgent application to have the charges against Gordhan set aside.
 
The organisations said the charges were obviously without foundation.

Several legal organisations say they are concerned by the threats and personal attacks directed at Judge Thokozile Masipa, who presided over the trial of blade runner, Oscar Pistorius.

The Legal Resources Centre, SECTION27, and the Centre for Child Law state that the wave of criticism directed at Masipa personally in relation to her judgment had resulted in her requiring police protection.

The Mozambican government proposes a Bill that would criminalise SMSes, emails and other types of online posts that are considered ‘insulting’ or ‘jeopardise the security of the state’. 

Minister of science and technology, Louis Pelembe, explained that the tough penalties proposed in the Bill would ensure consumer protection and increase confidence in electronic transactions as a means of communication and provision of services.

Besides the provision on insulting content, the law would cover fraudulent access to the internet, databases and financial transactions.