South Africa Apologises to UN Rapporteur After Irregular Court Paper Service

South Africa’s Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Mmamoloko Kubayi, has issued an apology to Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, after she was irregularly served with court papers during a public event in Johannesburg.

The documents were delivered Saturday during the Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture in Johannesburg. According to the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), the papers were linked to a lawsuit in the United States filed by pro-Israel groups and were served by a South African sheriff without the required authorisation.

Under South African law, requests to serve foreign civil court documents must be approved by the justice minister and processed through the director general of the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development. Kubayi confirmed that her office had not granted such approval and instructed the acting director general to take appropriate action.

She also offered an unconditional apology to Albanese, the United Nations, and the Nelson Mandela Foundation for the incident.

Albanese, who delivered the 23rd annual lecture under the theme “Enhancing Peace and Global Cooperation,” told the audience that despite personal pressures she remained committed to speaking about the situation in Palestine.

Source: Newstimehub