In a judgement in the Port Elizabeth Supreme Court this week, Justice JW Jones declared the municipality's segregation of beaches to be invalid.
The beaches – scene of a famour protest swim last year in which Hendrickse tackled the government over segregated facilities – had never been properly set aside for the exclusive use of any particular race, the judge found.
Such a decision could be effected only by a municipal by-law or regulation; but the municipality had segregated the beaches in November 1966 by a simple city Council resolution.
This article originally appeared in the Weekly Mail.
