On 5 December 2016, the case brought by Sonke Gender Justice and Lawyers for Human Rights, in response to the extreme overcrowding and inhumane conditions suffered by detainees awaiting trial in Pollsmoor Remand Detention Facility, was finally heard by Judge Saldanha in the Western Cape High Court.
Sonke and LHR are pleased that after waiting almost a year after filing the case, the court found in their favour and declared that the South African government’s failure to fulfil its obligations in terms of the Correctional Services Act is unconstitutional.
The BBC World Service reports on this historic decision.
