Cape Town - The Centre for Child Law has sent out their response following an article that was published in the Early Edition of the Star on 29 January 2019.
The article is titled “ Fight over naming child offenders heads to ConCourt".
The Centre wishes to correct a material error in the article that states that the true identity of Zephany Nurse can be revealed. There is a court order in place protecting Zephany Nurse’s identity.
The article states the following: “ As the legislation that the CCL sought to repeal remains valid, the media can name the young woman who became known as Zephany Nurse”. This is incorrect.
In April 2015, the High Court in Pretoria ruled that her identity remains protected until the Constitutional Court issues a judgment. The order states as follows:
- “2 Irrespective of whether or not [Zephany Nurse] has reached the age of 18 years, pending the final determination of Part B of this application:
- 2.1 The publication of any information which reveals or may reveal the identity of [Zephany Nurse] is prohibited”
Therefore, no person or newspaper can reveal her identity. The Centre requests that this court order be complied with as the appeal runs its course in the Constitutional Court.