Cape Town —
Western Cape Judge President John Hlophe Waiting for Axe to Fall
Controversial Western Cape Judge President John Hlophe has moved a step closer to suspension, EWN reports. Yesterday, the Judicial Services Commission announced that it would be recommending his suspension to President Cyril Ramaphosa. Hlophe is accused of attempting to “influence, improperly,” then Constitutional Court Justices Chris Jafta and Bess Nkabinde during a make-or-break appeal involving former president Jacob Zuma’s prosecution over the arms deal – formally known as the Strategic Defence Package – in 2008. The JSC found that this amounted to gross misconduct and Hlophe is now facing a parliamentary vote to impeach him.
UAE Extradition of Fugitive Gupta Brothers a Step Closer?
Justice Minister Ronald Lamola has confirmed that the national director of public prosecutions has issued a request for the extradition of Rajesh and Atul Gupta, which had been duly received by UAE authorities. The minister said the matter was now out of South Africa’s hands. According to the minister, the UAE courts will determine whether the Gupta brothers are extraditable to South Africa. The UAE justice minister will then make the final decision on whether they will return to South Africa to answer charges of fraud, corruption and money laundering. The brothers were arrested in the UAE in June 2022.
To Scrap, or Not to Scrap Chicken Trade Tariffs
The consumption of chicken, a good source of protein, exceeds 2 million tons per year in South Africa. Since April 2022, there has been calls to scrap trade tariffs on chicken to protect its affordability for the South African consumer. The South African Association of Meat Importers and Exporters (AMIE) has called on the government to “purge all trade tariffs on chicken products and place a three-year moratorium on all new tariffs”. They are also calling for VAT to be removed from chicken. Meanwhile, IOL reports that the SA Poultry Association is saying that the non-renewal of tariffs is a threat to jobs in the industry, as well as to consumers.