that the Complainant wrongfully submitted that she has exhausted local remedies
by the mere fact that she "has approached the Constitutional Court which is the
highest Court in the Respondent".
53. The Respondent State argues that in the case wherein a court grants the application
for recession of judgment, the original default judgment will be set aside or
reconsidered. This in effect entails that the case will be reopened, and the parties
will have an opportunity to present their case. According to the Respondent State,
in this Communication, the University of Limpopo succeeded in having the
default judgment of Semenya J rescinded and set aside. Therefore, the
Complainant as the dominus litis can enroll her application for hearing since the
main review application under case number: 2172/2019 is still pending before the
High Court.
·
54. The exhaustion of local remedies requirement is a fundamental principle of
international law ensuring the proper functioning of domestic legal systems and
granting national authorities the opportunity toaddress alleged violations before
international intervention. The Commission held in Nixon Nyikadzino v Zimbabwe 4
that requesting Complainants to exhaust local remedies before approaching the
Commission is to give the Respondent State a chance to redress the alleged human
rights violation~ through its structure and organs. In Amnesty International and
Others v. Sudan 5, the Commission also held that it is when local remedies have been
exhausted or proven ineffective, is recourse to international mechanisms
appropriate.
55. In the present communication, the Commission notes the arguments of the
Complainant that local remedies have been exhausted as the matter has been
heard in the higllest court in South Africa i.e. the Constitutional Court. However,
the Commission in analyzing the facts and decisions of the Courts approached in
the Respondent State, agrees with the Respondent State that the merits of the
matter is still pending before the High Court of the Respondent State. This is
because the matter that was heard up to the Constitutional Court of South Africa
was on an application for leave to appeal the decision by the High Court to rescind
the default judgement that was previously granted and that the University should
file an affidavit that will allow the matter to be heard on its merits.
4
Communication 340/07-Nixon Niykadzino (represented by Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum) v.
Zimbabwe, (2014) par. 84. See also Peter Joseph Chacha v Tanzania, App. No. 003/2012, Judgment of 28
March 2014, par. 142, where the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights found that the exhaustion
of local remedies is not a matter of choice, but a legal requirement in international law.
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