Juta

This Women’s Month, we celebrate Melody for leading with heart, embracing purpose and inspiring those around her to make a difference.

Meet Melody Green: A Woman Who Leads with Purpose

Melody Green is a Jutarian whose compassion, courage and commitment to making a difference are an inspiration to those around her. Her journey is a powerful reminder that sometimes, creating change simply starts with caring enough to take the first step.

Melody believes in using her voice and her experiences to uplift others and create opportunities for positive change. Her involvement in transforming the library at her former school into a welcoming space for learners is a reflection of the impact that one person’s vision can have when they choose to act.

[In Legalbrief Case Law Briefs]

ABRAHAMS AJ 'FREEDOM OF CHOICE IS NOT FREEDOM FROM CONSEQUENCE'

Santam required office employees to return to work permanently from March 2022. Its Covid-19 policy required employees either to be vaccinated or to submit regular negative PCR tests. Richards chose regular PCR testing instead of vaccination but stopped submitting test results and attending work, citing unaffordability. He was dismissed for gross insubordination and dishonesty. The Court held that financial inability to pay for PCR tests does not amount to incapacity or disability under the Employment Equity Act Code, and that the matter remained one of misconduct. A religious objection to vaccination must be supported by evidence of a sincerely held belief and its doctrinal basis; a bare assertion is insufficient. The Court further held that unsubstantiated allegations of racism and favouritism in a CCMA referral may support a finding of dishonesty, even without proof of an intention to deceive. The review application was dismissed, with no order as to costs.

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In this week’s Medical Brief…

SA's pharmacy giants and government have come head to head over the state's alleged preference for cheaper imports over medicines made locally, a situation which has been blamed for the loss of 2 500 jobs in the past 18 months, and medicine shortages. The dispute, aired in Parliament last week, comes amid a global medicines shortage, according to a new report which revealed that the average duration of shortages for drugs of all kinds has more than doubled since 2019.

Two men linked to the murder of Dr Michael Isabelle during a robbery at his Soweto general practice in 2024 have been sentenced to lengthy terms by the Gauteng High Court (Johannesburg).

Also in the courts this week was a doctor, suspended by the Health Professionals Council of SA, who appeared on charges of fraud after an inspection of his "surgery" by police and traditional healers found several youngsters in severe pain after being circumcised, and others still awaiting their procedures.

On the research front, after more than a decade of research, testing and Africa’s only clinical trial of its kind, a cancer treatment that could improve the effectiveness of standard oncology care in South Africa’s public health system is poised for rollout.

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[ IN THIS WEEK'S IBA LEGALBRIEF AFRICA ]

Uganda has joined Morocco as the second African country which has agreed to send troops to Gaza as part of US President Donald Trump's Board of Peace plan. Ugandan authorities won parliamentary approval on Thursday for the troop deployment. The decision in both countries and increasingly closer ties to the US and Israel have raised concern.

The Congo has banned exports of copper concentrate and cobalt concentrate in a major escalation of its drive to force domestic processing and retain more value from its vast mineral resources. DRC, the world's largest cobalt producer and second-largest copper supplier, also introduced a new tax regime for economically significant mining by-products.

In Kenya, three top bank executives have been charged over allegations that they failed to report suspicious transactions linked to a Ksh363m ($2 805 905) fraud case. The executives are facing allegations under the Proceeds of Crime and Anti-Money Laundering Act, which requires reporting of suspected proceeds of crime and suspicious financial activity. The case also involves allegations of theft from an investment company.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has approved pay rises of up to 80% for members of the armed forces as the country grapples with multiple security challenges across different regions. Islamist insurgents, including Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province, continue to stage attacks in the northeast, while heavily armed criminal gangs operate across parts of the northwest. Kidnappings for ransom have become widespread in parts of north-central Nigeria.

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In this week’s Medical Brief…

A new breakthrough vaccine for TB - the first to be introduced in more than a century - is likely to be rolled in South Africa soon and is expected to eliminate the disease as a public threat by 2030 as phase three trials in five countries shows high promise.

In more good news, the fight against Aids prevention in Africa took a huge step forward with a licensing agreement between Aspen Pharmacare and Merck subsidiary MSD, granting Aspen rights to develop, manufacture and commercialise new anti-HIV drug MK-8527, or alimatravir,

On the research front, longstanding uncertainty around the role of antihistamines for eczema was settled with new research saying the medicines are “of no significant benefit and may probably increase harms”.

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[ IN THIS WEEK'S IBA LEGALBRIEF AFRICA ]

The unprecedented immigration breach by Moroccans at the Spanish enclave of Ceuta has been met with fear and condemnation by the European Union and US, which have accused both Spain and Morocco of lax border controls. Spain's Prime Minister has blamed trafficking gangs after about 60 000 migrants crossed into the North African enclave from Morocco. At least 72 people died during the surge, which came after Spain's Supreme Court ruled that migrants stopped at sea while trying to reach Ceuta or Melilla, another Spanish enclave, cannot be summarily returned to Morocco.

Kenya’s Supreme Court is to decide whether survivors of conflict-related sexual violence are entitled to the same protection as other victims of political violence in what could be a landmark human rights case for the country. The case, brought by survivors of sexual violence during Kenya’s 2007-08 post-election crisis, will test the extent of the state’s responsibility to prevent, investigate and provide remedies for abuses committed during periods of political unrest..

Zimbabwe’s first plant to process clean-energy metal lithium – of which it is Africa’s top producer – is up and running, a milestone in its expanding drive to stop the wholesale export of its raw mineral wealth. It is part of a push by the country – and others on the continent – to add value domestically to raw materials to create jobs and lift export earnings.

Chad has joined a growing list of countries as it announced plans to withdraw from the International Criminal Court. The northern African nation is the fifth state in recent months to quit the international tribunal, as the US continues to increase pressure on the institution. Chad’s government said that the court’s effectiveness was ‘limited’ and uneven and condemned what it said was a concentration of its activities on African countries.

And the DRC’s Constitutional Court has approved a controversial referendum law that critics say could pave the way for President Félix Tshisekedi to seek a third term in office. The court said the proposed legislation complies with the Constitution. The law would allow the President to amend the Constitution through a constituent assembly followed by a referendum in the event of what it describes as a ‘major dysfunction’ of state institutions

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