The World Through My Eyes

 

A few years ago, I read one of Chimamanda Adichie Ngozi's works and there was a part where the characters were complaining about being without power for 12 hours. It's a fictional story set in Nigeria but my mind just could not even comprehend the possibility of a country going for so long without power, it just didn't make sense how those entrusted with power could run the country into the ground like that. Fast forward to September 2022, more than 15 years after loadshedding was first introduced in South Africa and guess what? We, too, go for so long without power. France and the US are also expected to take the load loadshedding & reduction route too. Eskom defines loadshedding as planned [electricity] supply interruptions which take place when the demand [for electricity] exceeds the available supply. But what does the law say about the planned darkness we're subjected to?  The Constitution does not explicitly provide for the right to electricity but as common s

Section 35 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Act 108 of 1996 (throughout this blog, it will just be referred to as 'the Constitution') is the cornerstone of Criminal Law in South Africa as it deals with the rights of arrested, detained and accused persons. We've all often heard of the praise (read phrase) that our Constitution is the best in the world, that is because not only does it recognize and protect the rights of citizens but also whoever finds themselves in the land, legally or otherwise. Alleged criminals are no exception either owing to our stringent belief in "innocent until proven guilty", now let's look at this section in detail. s35(1) reads that "everyone who is arrested for allegedly committing an offence has the right— (a) to remain silent; b) to be informed promptly—       (i) of the right to remain silent; and       (ii) of the consequences of not remaining silent;" American movies are a perfect depiction of this

It is currently 23:58 on a September 13 night, it is dark, loadshedding has hit and as a result, I am trying to read. I stumbled upon little notes (and comments?) I had made on Adv. Tembeka Ngcukaitobi's controversial Land Matters. This is a book I've been reading for a few months now, I am often forced to put it down and focus on my academics because really, it's a book I'm reading for pleasure. Ngcukaitobi is basically tackling the infamous land question in South Africa, he's looking at the past, present and the bleak future of same. He starts by giving much needed history on Africa's communal systems of land-ownership, goes on to assess the 1913 Land Act and subsequent forced removes of natives from their homesteads. Fast forward, he looks at what the government has achieved, if anything, as well as its failures in "bringing back the land." In Part III: Land Trials And Errors: Restitution, Redistribution And Tenure. Chapter 11 titled 'Our Myster

I think I downplayed just how strenuous a process it would be to come up with a research topic as even before starting my degree, I knew I wanted to specialize in Human Rights Law so to be here, a few years later, stuck on the topic I'll be doing for my research was not only embarrassing but really confusing as well. I am excited to announce that after sending endless emails to my lecturer, often at odd times, I have finally managed to come up with a research topic that not only makes academic sense but also speaks to the true reason I decided to pursue a degree in Law. I've never been an individual that sticks to doing one thing at a time, if I were to self-diagnose, I'd say I have ADHD but we're not there, at least not yet. I'm halfway through my degree and I'm a bit embarrassed to admit that I've enjoyed parts of the law I've never an interest in before i.e. Criminal Law and Labour Law but that's what life is about, right? Finding, as you go along

Walking Through The Streets Of Thohoyandou, Monday, 12 September 2022. 

The title may be a little bit misleading but I promise you, this post has nothing to do with Spring the season. More than a decade ago, the Republic of Tunisia not only changed her trajectory but that of Egypt, Syria and Yemen as well. To put it simply, the Arab region was impacted by the courageous act of Mohamed Bouazizi, a 26-year-old street vendor who was humiliated and harassed when Municipal officials confiscated his wheelbarrow of produce and as a result, he set himself on fire in protest.   This act was a reflection of years of brewing frustration and hopelessness amongst the Tunisian people as there seemed to be no hope nor escape out of the poverty, high cost of living, unemployment as well as from the harsh hand of authoritarianism practiced by President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.  Shortly after the sparking of these protests, President Ben Ali fled to Saudi Arabia for safety and that, dear reader, made him the first leader in the Arab world to be pushed out of power by mere p