In a significant ruling for those residing on the land administered by the Ingonyama Trust, the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Friday declared the land lease programme imposed by the trust’s board in 2012 as unlawful and an infringement on the residents’ constitutional rights.
Answer to a question from a reader
My father secured a loan with our house and it got repossessed. What can we do to stop the bank evicting us? The short answer Before giving an eviction order a court must balance your interests against the bank’s, and decide if selling the house is the best option, or if alternatives can be found to settle the debt.
The whole question
My father took a loan with the bank and used our house as security. He could not pay the loan and the bank repossessed our home. Then he later died. We have been living in the house for more than 20 years now the bank just shows up wanting to evict us if we don t buy it. What can we do?
I am a foreigner. How can I register my child in South Africa? The short answer
The whole question
My partner was born in South Africa but moved to Portugal when he was a year old. He has a South African passport but not the national ID. I, on the other hand, am a foreigner. We currently reside in Cape Town. We are not married, and I am currently pregnant. Once our child is born, we would like to use my partner s surname and he will legally acknowledge the child. Will we be able to register our baby?
The long answer