Nelson Mandela court case delayed after lawyer Ismail Ayob withdra

Nelson Mandela court case delayed after lawyer Ismail Ayob withdraws

South Africa: A court case aimed at ousting ex-South African president Nelson Mandela's aides from two companies he set up has been delayed, a law firm has said.
A judge took the decision after lawyer Ismail Ayob, acting for Mr Mandela's daughters, withdrew from the case.

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The women were trying to gain control of the companies, said to be worth about Sh143m.
Mr Mandela's grandson Mandla accused them of trying to "loot" the 95-year-old ex-president's wealth.
Mr Mandela has been seriously ill in hospital since 8 June.
He spent 27 years in prison for fighting white supremacist rule in South Africa and became its first democratically elected president in 1994.
He stepped down from office five years later.
'Blatant abuse'
In April, two of his daughters, Makaziwe and Zenani, brought court action to oust prominent human rights lawyer George Bizos, ex-Housing Minister Tokyo Sexwale and lawyer Bally Chuene as directors of two of Mr Mandela's firms, Harmonieux Investment Holdings and Magnifique Investment Holdings.
The three had never been appointed to serve on the board of the companies, and had rejected requests to resign, Makaziwe and Zenani said.
The case was due to be heard on Monday, but was stuck off from the roll because of Mr Ayob's withdrawal, said a spokeswoman for Norton Rose Fulbright, the legal firm representing the defendants.
"Once they've appointed new legal representation... they must inform the judge and he will put it on the roll again," the spokeswoman added, AFP news agency reports.
It is not clear why Mr Ayob - a close friend of Mr Mandela before falling out with him in 2004 - withdrew from the case.
Mandla Mandela said his relatives had engaged in a "blatant abuse of the elderly" by bringing the case.

"Why wait until the sponsor of a trust is not well to question decisions that he made [a] long time ago?" he asked.
Mr Mandela had "carefully set out" how his wealth "must benefit the family and who must guide decisions relating to that", Mandla Mandela said.
Mr Bizos, Mr Sexwale and Mr Chuene were men of integrity who had always had his grandfather's confidence, he added.
In April, Mr Bizos accused Mr Mandela's daughters of trying to "get their hands on things that should not be sold".
In July, Makaziwe and 15 other members of the Mandela family won a court case against Mandla over the burial site of three of the ex-president's children.
The court ruled that the three should be reburied in Qunu village, where Mr Mandela is expected to be buried.
Mandla was accused of unlawfully moving the remains in 2011 from Qunu to Mvezo, where he was the local chief, in the hope of influencing the burial place of Mr Mandela.
-BBC

Nelson Mandela court case

Nelson Mandela court case delayed after lawyer Ismail Ayob withdraws

South Africa: A court case aimed at ousting ex-South African president Nelson Mandela's aides from two companies he set up has been delayed, a law firm has said.
A judge took the decision after lawyer Ismail Ayob, acting for Mr Mandela's daughters, withdrew from the case.

0
inShare

The women were trying to gain control of the companies, said to be worth about Sh143m.
Mr Mandela's grandson Mandla accused them of trying to "loot" the 95-year-old ex-president's wealth.
Mr Mandela has been seriously ill in hospital since 8 June.
He spent 27 years in prison for fighting white supremacist rule in South Africa and became its first democratically elected president in 1994.
He stepped down from office five years later.
'Blatant abuse'
In April, two of his daughters, Makaziwe and Zenani, brought court action to oust prominent human rights lawyer George Bizos, ex-Housing Minister Tokyo Sexwale and lawyer Bally Chuene as directors of two of Mr Mandela's firms, Harmonieux Investment Holdings and Magnifique Investment Holdings.
The three had never been appointed to serve on the board of the companies, and had rejected requests to resign, Makaziwe and Zenani said.
The case was due to be heard on Monday, but was stuck off from the roll because of Mr Ayob's withdrawal, said a spokeswoman for Norton Rose Fulbright, the legal firm representing the defendants.
"Once they've appointed new legal representation... they must inform the judge and he will put it on the roll again," the spokeswoman added, AFP news agency reports.
It is not clear why Mr Ayob - a close friend of Mr Mandela before falling out with him in 2004 - withdrew from the case.
Mandla Mandela said his relatives had engaged in a "blatant abuse of the elderly" by bringing the case.

"Why wait until the sponsor of a trust is not well to question decisions that he made [a] long time ago?" he asked.
Mr Mandela had "carefully set out" how his wealth "must benefit the family and who must guide decisions relating to that", Mandla Mandela said.
Mr Bizos, Mr Sexwale and Mr Chuene were men of integrity who had always had his grandfather's confidence, he added.
In April, Mr Bizos accused Mr Mandela's daughters of trying to "get their hands on things that should not be sold".
In July, Makaziwe and 15 other members of the Mandela family won a court case against Mandla over the burial site of three of the ex-president's children.
The court ruled that the three should be reburied in Qunu village, where Mr Mandela is expected to be buried.
Mandla was accused of unlawfully moving the remains in 2011 from Qunu to Mvezo, where he was the local chief, in the hope of influencing the burial place of Mr Mandela.
-BBC

Israel, Palestinians resuming talks after 5 years

Israel, Palestinians resuming talks after 5 years

Egyptian people respect those who respect their will, 'Rebel' tells Ashton

Egyptian people respect those who respect their will, 'Rebel' tells Ashton

Leaders of Egypt's anti-Morsi 'Rebel' campaign tell EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton that they reject a safe exit without trial for Mohamed Morsi

 

European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, center, meets with Mahmoud Badr, left, and Mohammed Abdel-Aziz, leaders of the youth campaign Tamarod, which led the protests against Egypt's ousted President Mohammed Morsi, in Cairo (Photo: AP)

 

Leaders of the anti-Morsi 'Rebel' (Tamarod) campaign met with European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton in Cairo on Monday and stressed they reject "deals" and a safe exit for Mohamed Morsi and other leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Ashton is in Cairo for talks following the killing of at least 80 supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi during violent clashes with the police early on Saturday morning.
"Everyone involved in bloodshed must be subject to a fair trial," Mahmoud Badr, one of the leaders of Rebel said, according to a statement on the group's official website.
"We asked her if she would personally accept an armed sit-in to be set up under her house, one that would force her to go to her home before being searched thoroughly and would turn the gardens surrounding her house to places for people to sleep, and would construct toilets in them," read the statement.
In her second visit to Egypt this month, Ashton is meeting members of Egypt's current transitional government as well as members of the Muslim Brotherhood who are firmly demanding Morsi's reinstatement.
Badr said the delegation told the EU's top diplomat that the Egyptian people respect those who respect their will and "all countries must respect our will."
He also posed her a question about whether European nations would allow sit-ins by Al Qaeda in their cities, pointing out that "black flags of Al Qaeda are present at all of the pro-Morsi rallies."
The archaic black flag carrying "there is no God but Allah" in white is used by Al-Qaeda. It has appeared in numerous Islamist and Brotherhood rallies in Egypt over the past two years.
The Rebel campaign supported calls by army chief and defence minister Abdel Fattah El-Sisi for Egyptians to rally against "terrorism" last Friday, a message thought to be implicitly aimed at the Brotherhood. Huge numbers of Egyptians heeded El-Sisi's call to demonstrate. Police gunned down Morsi's supporters later that night.

Wasio na uwezo kusaidiwa kisheria

 

 

 

Wizara ya Katiba na Sheria imesema inaandaa sheria ya msaada wa kisheria bila malipo ili kuwasaidia wananchi wasio na uwezo katika mashauri ya jinai na madai.

Akizungumza na waandishi wa habari mwishoni mwa wiki, jijini Dar es Salaam, Afisa Habari wa Wizara ya Katiba na Sheria, Farida Khalfan, alisema kutungwa kwa sheria hiyo kunafuatia kilio cha muda mrefu cha wananchi ambao wamekuwa wakipata shida katika kupata haki kutokana na uwezo mdogo wa kifedha.

"Maandalizi ya muswada kwa ajili ya sheria hiyo yapo katika hatua za mwisho serikalini kabla ya kuwasilishwa katika Bunge. Lengo la serikali ni kuwa ifikapo Januari, 2014 sheria hii iwe imekamilika," alisema.

Alisema pamoja na mambo mengi, sheria itakayotungwa itaunda chombo huru kitakachokuwa na majukumu mbalimbali, ikiwamo kusajili taasisi zinazotoa msaada wa kisheria nchini pamoja na kusajili watoa msaada wa kisheria.

Pia alisema chombo hicho kitaweka viwango vya ubora katika utoaji misaada ya kisheria na kuvisimamia viwango hivyo, kusimamia nidhamu na maadili ya watoa huduma za msaada wa kisheria, kutambua wasaidizi wa kisheria na kutafuta fedha ili kutekeleza majukumu yake.