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"title": "Justice Minister apologises to UN Special Rapporteur Albanese over court papers blunder",
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"contents": "<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On Sunday, 26 October 2025, the department issued an apology to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Francesca Albanese, after an official in the department issued an unauthorised letter that led to a Sheriff approaching Albanese with court papers on Saturday. </span></p><p><b>Read more: </b><a href=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/opinionista/2025-10-26-justice-as-a-compass-mandelas-legacy-palestines-struggle-and-the-ethics-of-global-solidarity/?dm_source=dm_block_list&dm_medium=card_link&dm_campaign=main\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Justice as a Compass — Mandela’s legacy, Palestine’s struggle and the ethics of global solidarity</span></a></p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This comes after Albanese, the Italian international law expert specialising in human rights and the Middle East, delivered the 23rd Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture, in which she said: “I think that South Africa’s legacy shows us that no system of oppression can endure forever, and against all odds, the people united can truly challenge and change the course of history.”</span></p><h4><b>Who can approve service of process</b></h4><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Mmamoloko Kubayi has withdrawn the unauthorised process, and issued an apology to Albanese, the Nelson Mandela Foundation and the United Nations.</span></p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“The attempt to serve Ms Albanese did not comply with the required prescripts,” ministry spokesperson Terrence Manase said.</span></p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“The minister has instructed that this irregular service of process be withdrawn and extends an unconditional apology to Ms Albanese, to the Nelson Mandela Foundation and to the United Nations (UN).”</span></p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is unclear exactly what papers were issued to Albanese. However, Manase said: “Neither the director-general nor the minister gave effect to the above request for service of the process, which was a request purportedly made by the Christian Friends of Israeli Communities and Christians for Israel, USA.”</span></p><p>On Sunday, the Nelson Mandela Foundation released a little more detail, stating: \"It is regrettable that the media engagement following the event, with the further probing of key issues we had anticipated, was disrupted by the attempt of the Christian Friends of Israeli Communities, Christians for Israel, USA, serving court papers on Ms Albanese, for alleged defamation. We welcome the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development’s acknowledgement that the service of the process was irregular and its consequent apology to Ms Albanese, the UN, and the Foundation.\"</p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Section 40(2) of the Superior Courts Act requires that a request for the service of any civil process on a person in the republic received from any state or territory is transmitted to the registrar of a division by the director-general of the department, with an intimation that the minister considers it desirable that effect should be given to such service. </span></p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“Service of process is the formal, legal procedure of delivering court documents, such as a summons, to a person, based on a request from another country,” said Manase.</span></p><p><b>Read more:</b><a href=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-10-23-icj-tells-israel-to-allow-un-aid-to-gaza/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ICJ tells Israel to allow UN aid to Gaza, says Palestinians have been ‘inadequately supplied’</span></a></p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Albanese is the first woman to serve as the United Nations Human Rights Council-appointed Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, and has a distinguished career in human rights. For more than two decades she worked with various UN agencies, focusing on refugees, displacement and the Middle East/north Africa.</span></p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In her role as Special Rapporteur, Albanese investigates and reports on human rights violations in the occupied Palestinian territories, including Gaza and the West Bank. In July 2023, she submitted a report asserting that </span><a href=\"https://www.ungeneva.org/en/news-media/meeting-summary/2023/07/les-pratiques-carcerales-illegales-disrael-equivalent-des-crimes?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Israel’s carceral practices</span></a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in the occupied territory – characterised by large-scale detention, dual legal systems and surveillance – could constitute international crimes, including elements of apartheid and settler-colonial domination.</span></p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Albanese is also an accomplished author, with works focusing on refugee law and the struggles of Palestinian refugees. Her book, Palestinian Refugees in International Law (Oxford UP, 2020), comprehensively examines their legal status from its origins to the present day.</span></p><blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">The groundbreaking report, authored by UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, affirms Israel’s genocide is:</p><ul><li>\"A collective crime\" made possible by the complicity of states that have \"enabled longstanding systemic violations of international law by Israel.”</li><li>Facilitated… <a href=\"https://t.co/F5HzFQkNCI\">pic.twitter.com/F5HzFQkNCI</a></li></ul><p>— BDS movement (@BDSmovement) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/BDSmovement/status/1981749011653550463?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 24, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script></p><h4><strong>Response by the Nelson Mandela Foundation:</strong></h4><p><iframe class=\"scribd_iframe_embed\" tabindex=\"0\" title=\"POST NMAL Media Statement\" src=\"https://www.scribd.com/embeds/938515157/content?start_page=1&view_mode=scroll&access_key=key-RLiXajwE0uQegoVffG9R\" width=\"100%\" height=\"600\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" data-auto-height=\"true\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.7080062794348508\"></iframe></p><p><em>This article was updated at 2.40pm on 26 October 2025 to include a response from the Nelson Mandela Foundation. </em></p>",
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"introduction": "<ul><li>South Africa's Justice Department apologizes to UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese after an unauthorized court process was attempted against her.</li><li>Albanese, who recently delivered the Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture, emphasized the need for action on Palestinian hostages and highlighted South Africa's legacy against oppression.</li><li>Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi withdrew the irregular service of process, clarifying that it did not follow legal protocols and was not authorized by senior officials.</li><li>Albanese, a prominent human rights expert, has reported on potential international crimes in the occupied Palestinian territories, including allegations of apartheid.</li></ul>",
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Chairperson of the Nelson Mandela Foundation Naledi Pandor (L), CEO of the Nelson Mandela Foundation Mbongiseni Buthelezi (R), and United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese (C) react after Albanese delivered the Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture at the Sandton Convention Centre in Sandton, Johannesburg, on October 25, 2025. (Photo by PHILL MAGAKOE / AFP) 