.(-~ ACHPR
ff:, ii.j\
African Commission on
~ h .r.r ) ~
Human and Peoples' Rights
Human R;ghts oo,
Collective Responsibility
litigation may be jojned for the purposes of obtaining costs from them.47 From
the legal precedent cited by the Court and its reasoning, it is clear to the
Commission that this appears to be established law not arbitrary practice
imposed exclusively on the 1st Complainant. Furthermore, the Commission
notes that the Complainants have not established any bias in which the Court
deviated from conventional practice. Accordingly, no violation of the alleged
articles can be discerned from the High Court's joinder of the 1st Complainant
to the order of costs against the 2nd Complainant.
81. The Commission now turns to consider whether the Supreme Court of Appeal's
dismissal of the Complainants' application for leave to appeal Case Number
31884/2015 in SCA 354/19, which was again upheld in Constitutional Court
case CCT162/19 violated the Complainants' rights under Article 7 and 26 of the
Charter. The Complainants allege that the dismissals ,o ccurred without reasons.
The Commission notes from the evidence submitted by the Complainants,
being the Order of the Supreme Court of Appeal, that the Court indeed
stipulated why the application was dismissed. 48 From the second page of the
judgment in question, one can glean that the "The application for leave to appeal is
dismissed with costs on the grounds (hat there is no reasonable prospect of success in
an appeal and there is no other compelling reason why an appeal should be heard." This
too is confirmed by the Respondent State in their pleadings on the merits, an
averment that the Commission finds to be persuasive.
82. However, the Commission considers that what the Complainants claim to be
absence of reasons in this case is the absence of a full judgment such as the one
provided by the High Court in case number 31884/2015. The Commission notes
that whilst tlle dismissal was indeed not communicated in a lengthy judgment,
the reasons ·for the decision were indeed provided, nonetheless. The
Respondent State argues that under South African law, Superior courts may
dismiss applications for leave to appeal by issuing an order without a
comprehensive judgment as that would have been addressed in the Court aquo.
The Commission is persuaded by this position, as the Respondent State
postulates, it would defeat the purposes of requiring leave to appeal if Courts
would dedicate their time and resources belaboring points which would have
been addressed in the lower courts. The Commission considers th
.q...,
o"' (TAR O
Supreme Court of Appeal dismissed the Complainants' leave to ap
~
'.qr ~
l
0
u
47 HC 31884/15 Para 13-19
48 Case No; 354/19 Annexure "B" page 2
19 I Page
The African Commission on Human and Peoples' -~•~ ii;:::==:::,-.,
31 Bijilo Annex Layout, Kombo North District.
West Coast Region Gambia
Phone: (220) 230 4361 Fax: (220) 441 05 04
Fm::.il · ~1 1-h ~ni1 iltm~frir.~-11ninn nrn