By Thapelo Molefe
Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi has issued an apology to United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, after she was irregularly served with court papers by a sheriff in Johannesburg on Saturday.
The incident occurred just hours after Albanese, an Italian human rights lawyer and author, delivered the 23rd Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture, in which she called for global solidarity with Palestine and praised South Africa’s stance against Israel’s military actions in Gaza.
In a statement on Sunday, Kubayi confirmed that the attempt to serve Albanese was unauthorised and carried out without her or the Director-General’s knowledge or approval, as required under South African law.
“The service of process was effected without the knowledge or approval of either the Minister or the Director-General,” she said.
According to the Superior Courts Act, any request from another country to serve legal documents in South Africa must
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