Court postpones Moutse hearing

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA - Nov 18 2008 12:52

The Constitutional Court on Tuesday postponed a hearing on the fate of Moutse's possible return to Mpumalanga from Limpopo after hearing that the new local government minister wanted to go back to residents for further consultation.

The courted ordered that they return on March 17 next year, and that the Minister, Sicelo Shiceka, tell the court before then what he had done to meet their demand to be heard.

They had wanted the laws that allowed the area's transfer from one province to another to be repealed on the grounds that they had not been consulted.

However, the people who had travelled from Moutse to hear the case took the delay with frustration.

During an impromptu community briefing after the postponement was ordered, the lawyers representing them were told: "The 17th [of March] is too far for us."

One resident asked: "Can the Department of Provincial and Local Government resolve this before the next election?"

The court heard earlier that Shiceka had said he wanted to talk to the community about the matter with a view to a long-term solution.

Shiceka's lawyer, Vincent Maleka, submitted that judgment related to Tuesday's argument could then become moot. -- Sapa

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