New immigration laws in the balance
2003-04-07 21:07
Cape Town - The fate of new immigration legislation hung in the balance on Monday night as teams of lawyers continued to battle it out in the Cape High Court.
The court ruled last month that the regulations supposed to accompany the new act were unconstitutional and invalid and ordered that the old Aliens Control Act and its regulations remain in force until Monday night.
On Monday morning, the High Court refused Home Affairs Minister Mangosuthu Buthelezi leave to take his case to the Supreme Court of Appeal.
However, on Monday afternoon he lodged notice with the Constitutional Court of his intention to seek leave to appeal to it.
The filing of his Constitutional Court application appears to suspend last month's high court ruling and allow the new regulations to come into force along with the new act.
However, also on Monday afternoon, Gary Eisenberg, the special immigration lawyer who mounted the initial challenge, asked the High Court to, in effect, suspend the suspension.
- SAPA