The Legal Blogger

The City of Cape Town (CCT), and South Africa in general, have been experiencing significant water shortages due to the ongoing drought. In early April 2017, the CCT was reportedly down to its last 100 days of water and on 31 May, the City imposed unprecedented Level 4 water restrictions, which imposes stricter limitations on residential water use, encouraging use of up to 100 liters (l) per person per day; forbidding irrigation with municipal water; and suggesting the use of treated effluent and wastewater for non-potable purposes. The indigent water allocation for impoverished households was capped at 350 liters per day. On 31 May, CCT announced they will start working on a new Water Resilience Plan to address the future of Cape Town’s water. Due to climate change effects, drought events are no longer within an envelope of predictable probability. The difficult situation of this drought period is expected to be reached on the 9th of July 2018, commonly referred to by the media ...

There exists a delicate difference between a person’s freedom of speech and another’s right to protection of identity and status. It often becomes difficult to control the incensed hotheads for giving statements which affects the reputation of the other person in the society and labels it under the freedom to speech. It has become the question to think whether – What to speak in public and what not to speak. This makes the need and understanding of defamation law more vital.  This strengthens the need of defamation law. Unlike many other countries such as China, Former Soviet Union, Netherland etc., which adhere to only one type of defamation, India has both – civil defamation and criminal defamation. Though, not much difference exists between criminal and civil defamation. The only distinguishing factor is the punishment awarded in each case, which becomes a legal grey area.  Many countries such as UK, US, Sri Lanka, Dominican Republic etc., has removed criminal defamation...