The Centre for Applied Legal Studies (CALS) is disturbed at a growing trend in South African cities in terms of which the state forcibly removes shackdwellers from large shacks on well-located land to 'temporal housing' in transit camps (also known as 'temporary relocation areas' or TRAs) on the urban periphery. Relocation to transit camps is most often done to make way for infrastructure and development projects which will not benefit those being removed

The Third National LGBTI Youth Leaders’ Lekgotla, which unites students’ gay groups from different universities in South Africa, is starting on 3 to 7 April 2009. The University of Cape Town’s gay rights group Rainbow UCT will be hosting this annual gathering and is expecting groups from about nine universities in South Africa.

Government is to facilitate the processes aimed at strengthening the machineries dealing with matters of gender equality such as 50/50 representation in decision-making structures. Delivering the State of the Nation Address during a joint sitting in Parliament on Friday, President Kgalema Motlanthe said in the coming few months pending on the national and provincial elections, government will endeavour to complete that particular mandate.

A high court in South Africa has postponed the corruption trial hearing for ruling African National Congress leader Jacob Zuma until 25 August. Outside the Pietermaritzburg court, Mr Zuma told thousands of supporters if he quit it would be like admitting guilt. The ANC leader is favourite to become president after general elections expected between March and July.

The break-up of the African National Congress and the forthcoming general election provide a unique opportunity for a realignment of forces in South African politics. Creation of the Congress of the People, a new party, will erode the ANC’s grip on power and reignite the public debate over pressing issues such as corruption, crime and poverty.

South Africa is home to one of the largest Chinese communities in Africa, estimated at over 300,000. Most have arrived since the establishment of diplomatic relations between South Africa and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in 1988, many of them as illegal overstayers. There are also an estimated 30,000 Taiwanese, the remainder of a once larger population of over 100,000 established during and after the 1970s, when the apartheid regime established close relations with Taipei.

Abahlali baseMjondolo have been to the Durban High Court this morning to hear the judgment being handed dawn by the KwaZulu-Natal President, Judge Vuka Shabalala. On the 6 November 2008 the Movement had applied to the Durban High Court for the KwaZulu- Natal Elimination and Prevention of Re-Emergence of Slums Act 2007 to be declared unconstitutional. Full details of the Act, and the reasons for our opposition to it, and can be found on the Movement's website at

U.S. President Barack Obama spoke by phone with South African President Kgalema Motlanthe and said Pretoria had an important role to play in helping resolve Zimbabwe's political crisis, the White House said on Wednesday. "President Obama emphasized the importance of South Africa's leadership role as a strong and vibrant democracy in Africa. The two leaders discussed their shared concerns about the situation in Zimbabwe," the White House said in a statement.

Some gay rights groups and individuals are disappointed by the ANC’s 2009 Elections Manifesto which they say is mum on issues facing the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) community. According to these groups the manifesto, which the ruling party claims was drafted in consultation with the people of South Africa, considering their input, fails to address issues facing the LGBTI community such as hate crimes and homophobia, despite a submission made by this community at the party’s Polokwane Conference in 2007.

South Africa's constitution is often celebrated for its protection of social and economic rights; but how readily can this protection be invoked by the most vulnerable? This question is one that may be considered at the first ever World Conference on Constitutional Justice, taking place in Cape Town on Feb. 23-24. Senior legal personnel from 93 countries will discuss the influence of constitutional courts on societies around the world and the development of global human rights jurisprudence.

The government’s AIDS programme is heading for a funding crisis, deputy chairman of the South African National AIDS Council Mark Heywood has warned. Speaking to members of the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s (IPU’s) advisory committee on HIV/AIDS in Parliament yesterday, Heywood said the government had failed to budget in line with the cost estimates laid out in its National Strategic AIDS Plan (NSP). The five-year plan was launched 18 months ago, and put a R45bn price tag on meeting its targets, which include treating four-fifths of those in need by 2011.

The Tata-led Neotel consortium and mobile phone giant MTN South Africa have signed an agreement to jointly build a 2 billion rand ($202 million) 5,000-km optical fibre network that will connect all major centres across this country.

The Dubai Export Development Corporation (EDC) met with a delegation from South Africa to explore bilateral trade opportunities between the emirate of Dubai and the Province of Gauteng. The South African delegation was led by Her Excellency Agnes Nyamande-Pitso, the South African Consul General and Mr Blake Mosley-Lefatola, CEO of the Gauteng Economic Development Agency (GEDA) and included several other high ranking Gauteng officials.

The sixth edition of the Gender and Media Diversity Journal will focus on the topic of “Gender, Diversity, Elections and the Media.” This topic is particularly relevant given the large number of elections happening in the SADC region in the next few years, the August 2008 signing of the SADC Gender Protocol (which includes commitments from leaders to 50% women in decision-making), and Gender Links’ ongoing work with media and politicians around gender and elections. Submission of abstract: 2 February
Deadline for submission of commissioned articles: 2 March
Deadline for revisions: 20 March

Governments around the world tend to force poor people off well located and therefore valuable urban land and into peripheral ghettoes. From New Orleans to Bombay and Johannesburg the story is the same. One motivation for this is to transfer valuable land from the poor to the rich to create a subsidy for elite development at the direct expense of the poor.

The leader of South Africa's governing party, Jacob Zuma, is to appeal against a court ruling which resurrected corruption charges against him. Mr Zuma's lawyer said he would approach South Africa's highest court to have the charges dropped. On Monday, the appeals court quashed an earlier ruling that threw out charges in connection with a 1999 arms deal.

Bongani Goniwe said the eviction order that took them by surprise was received on the 25 of November last year. Goniwe said they did not know what to do as they were still pondering the next step. “In our understanding even though the house is in her name according to the “will” she still can’t sell the house because we regard council houses especially in the townships as family houses,” he said.

China has had a number of dealings with South African weapons manufacturers over the past decade, most of which have not resulted in actual weapons purchases. However, several recent Chinese-made military technologies bear suspicious resemblances to their South African counterparts.

cc. With the newly formed Congress of the People (COPE) seeking to displace the ANC as South’s Africa leading working-class party, Sanusha Naidu considers new party’s prospects in the upcoming general election. Though arguing that COPE could well make a significant dent in ANC’s existing two-thirds majority in parliament, the author argues that the party still has much to do to differentiate itself from the ANC and convince voters of its sincere concern for South Africa’s disadvantaged masses.

The South African Supreme Court of Appeal will hand down judgement in Zuma case that witnesses a face-off between the corruption-tainted Zuma, leader of the ruling African National Congress (ANC), and axed president Thabo Mbeki. Zuma will hear his fate two days after the ANC releases its 2009 election manifesto in the Eastern Cape on Saturday which names him as its presidential candidate.