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IOL News
3 days ago
- Politics
- IOL News
Why some public servants wish to continue beyond retirement age
According to the Department of Public Service and Administration, the current mandatory retirement age for public servants is 65. Image: landsmann/ SOUTH African public servants facing mandatory retirement at 65, share their experiences and desires to continue working and the challenges posed by financial insecurity. According to the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA), the current mandatory retirement age for public servants is 65. 'In terms of the Public Service Act, 1994 (PSA), the normal retirement age of employees is 65 years, and such employees will, on retirement, retire with no pension penalties. Although employees from the ages of 55 to 60 years may retire from the public service, such retirement may be subject to penalties to their pension,' stated in the DPSA retirement document. However, with the rising cost of living and tough economy, many individuals said they would prefer to continue working if it meant getting a stable income or just continuing their passion. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading Jason Ramcharan, a welder from Pinetown, retired at 65-years-old. He always wished that he could continue working as he loved his job and felt he was competent enough to continue working. 'I always loved working as a welder, it was my passion. When I finished school, my father asked me what I wanted to study and I said I wanted to get into a trade. While my siblings studied to become teachers, I started an apprenticeship in welding. I never regretted my choice because even though it was hard work, it was exciting and motivating,' he said. Ramcharan, now 68 years old, said he possessed all the knowledge to help others but had to sadly end his welding journey due to the retirement age. 'I was good at my job and because I have so many years of experience under my belt, the job is second nature for me. I was proficient at my trade and had no issues. Sadly, retirement ended my career. 'To be a welder, one has to learn all the time and have a sharp mind – the ability to think on the spot. If I had the opportunity, I would definitely go back to work. A lot of people said the work was strenuous and difficult, especially with age. But for people like myself, we know what it takes to get the job done. My passion drove me. 'I have years of experience and knowledge that could still be used in the industry. Sadly, 65 crept up faster that I knew. I think it would have been great if the retirement age could be amended. It would allow some of us to continue working and sharing our experience a little longer. Well, that's provided we are physically and mentally fit," added Ramcharan. Daniela Govender from Chatsworth, was a pre-school teacher and retired two years ago when she turned 65. 'Initially I wanted to retire at 60 but my husband had taken forced early retirement at 50-years-old. We decided that I should continue working for as long as I could. I loved being a teacher. It was always my dream but sometimes the school environment could be tough and today's children are less well-behaved. However, the income and benefits from being a teacher was great, so I continued teaching until 65.' The now 67-year-old said for the first few months before her retirement she was stressed and worried about the financial implications of her not working. 'At times I even feared signing my retirement papers because it felt so final. The reality is that I would not get my salary every month. Medical aid was our top priority. Fortunately, the government still pays half of the premium each month. Knowing that I was not going to get a fixed monthly income made my stress over the rand and cents. I had to tighten our purse strings. 'Even though we had saved money for our retirement, our lifestyle has changed. Sometimes we feel that my pension income is not going to be enough. I think that stems from my husband retiring early. The funds that he had did not last long and currently there is not a lot of money left. We have children but we don't want to be a burden to anyone. 'I feel that if I was allowed to retire later, we would have been able to save more money to make us comfortable. More especially, I loved being a teacher. In the teaching profession, the older you are, the more knowledge you have. Ultimately it helps the pupils in the long run. We have a lot of experience and we could also guide the younger teachers,' said Govender. THE POST
The Wire
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Wire
A Momentous Judgment: When the SC Ruled in Favour of Tribal Women's Rights in Ancestral Property
On July 17, 2025, the Supreme Court of India, in a case concerning Chhattisgarh's Gond community, ruled in favour of tribal women's rights in ancestral property. This judgement can have momentous ramifications, much beyond its specific context. Applying the principle of 'justice, equity and good conscience' where neither codified law nor clear evidence of custom existed, and especially invoking article 14 of the Indian Constitution (which guarantees equality for all before the law), the two-bench judgement upheld the rights of a tribal woman in ancestral property in the state of Chhattisgarh (Ramcharan & others vs Sukhram & others). How did this judgement by Sanjay Karol and Joymalya Bagchi come about and what are its implications? The case concerned the property claims of a deceased Gond tribal woman, Dhaiya, whose rights had been denied while those of her five brothers were recognised. Dhaiya's children filed a case for her share in the ancestral property of Bhajju Bhajan Gond, their maternal grandfather, mainly on the grounds that they followed Hindu traditions, and under current Hindu law their mother had equal claims as her brothers to the joint property. Some supplementary grounds were also given. The background The case came to the Supreme Court (SC) on appeal in 2023, after passing through the Trial Court, the First Appellate Court, and the High Court, all of which had rejected the claim. According to the background information provided in the SC judgment document, the case was filed in a trial court in 1992 by Dhayia's heirs (Ram Charan & Others) but was rejected on the grounds that no evidence was presented either of a Gond custom that the daughter could get ancestral property, nor of the family following recognised Hindu practices. The first appellate court (where the case then went on appeal), in its judgement in 2008, upheld the trial court's ruling. The appellant/plaintiffs then appealed to the Chhattisgarh high court in 2009, which too in its judgement of 2022 upheld the Trial Court's ruling – noting that no evidence was presented of a female heir being entitled to inherit ancestral property by custom, nor of the adoption of Hindu traditions by the family. Most importantly, the high court also rejected the counsel's plea that in the absence of evidence of custom, the principle of 'justice, equity and good conscience' must prevail. The case then went on appeal to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court's arguments The Supreme Court concurred with the lower courts on one count but diverged radically on other counts. It first argued that Hindu law could not come into play, since Section 2(2) of the Hindu Succession Act of 1956 had unequivocally excluded its application to Scheduled Tribes. This was in keeping with prior SC judgements, including one in 2022 (Kamla Neti vs Special Land Acquisition Officer & others). The SC further argued that where Gond customs were silent on women's inheritance rights over parental property, the presumption could not be in favour of denying women a share. Rather, the judges noted – giving the argument an interesting twist – instead of the plaintiff having to prove that a custom in favour of women existed, the defendants needed to prove that women were not entitled to inherit property by custom. The most radical shift in the SC judgement lay in its argument that since 'neither any particular law of a community nor custom could be brought into application by either side, we now proceed to examine the argument advanced before the high court, that is, the principle of justice, equity and good conscience' (para 15). Citing several past cases where this principle had been applied, including a case dealt with by the high court of Chhattisgarh where the property rights of female heirs had been upheld, the SC ruled in favour of Dhaiya and her heirs. Two of its arguments are worth noting: First, that 'unless otherwise prescribed in law, denying the female heir a right in the property only exacerbates gender division and discrimination, which the law should ensure to weed out' (para 27). Second, that, 'denying Dhaiya her share in her father's property, when the custom is silent, would violate her right to equality vis-a-vis her brothers or those of her legal heirs vis-à-vis their cousin' (para 28). Hence the SC ruled: '… we are of the firm view that in keeping with the principles of justice, equity and good conscience, read along with the overarching effect of Article 14 of the Constitution, the appellant-plaintiffs, being Dhaiya's legal heirs, are entitled to their equal share in the property' (para 29). Wider implications for legal reform The implications of this judgment, in my assessment, go much beyond Dhaiya's case. Based on the principles of justice, equity and good conscience, and Article 14 of the Constitution, the Supreme Court judgement sets a precedent for giving Scheduled Tribe women rights in family property as daughters (and their heirs) equal to the rights of sons (and their heirs). The judgement can thus become the benchmark for extending gender equal inheritance rights to all tribal women in India. In 2005, I had spearheaded a successful civil society campaign to amend the Hindu Succession Act to make it gender equal. The HSAA 2005 gave daughters equal rights with sons in coparcenary joint family property. Two decades later, this July 2025 judgement of the SC has effectively extended a similar right to tribal women. This is momentous. At the same time, to strengthen and expand those rights, we need to move beyond case law and precedent to codify tribal women's rights via statutory enactment. This could initially be done by individual states but would be most effective if undertaken at the federal level. The SC's July judgement provides two strong justifications for such codification: (a) on constitutional grounds, based on Article 14; and (b) on the principles of gender justice and inclusion. To this, a third can be added, namely that of non-discrimination between women of different communities in India. Today, Hindu, Christian and Parsi women are governed by different – but gender-equal – laws of succession. A failure to extend equal rights to tribal women by codified law would be discriminatory in intra-gender terms. Muslim women's rights also need reform, as I wrote in the Indian Express, but that requires a separate discussion. A discussion is also needed on potential reference models for codifying tribal women's rights. Hindu succession law appears unsuitable, given its complexity, especially its distinction between separate and coparcenary property. The secular Indian Succession Act of 1925 may provide a simpler alternative as a prototype to build on. Special provisions may well be required for matrilineal tribal communities, such as the Garos and Khasis in Meghalaya, which customarily grant women special rights. These issues need careful reflection but also expedited attention. The idea of codifying gender-equal inheritance laws for tribal communities has had a contentious history. An opposing argument is that replacing tribal customs with codified laws would undermine tribal identity. This is not unlike an even older argument made in peasant movements that calling for gender inequality would be divisive and undermine the movement. I believe these are misleading arguments. Progressive movements need to be built on equal rights for all community members, especially women. You cannot credibly seek justice for a community by turning a blind eye to embedded gender injustice within that community. It is also sometimes argued that customary laws in India's tribal communities don't need reform as they are already gender equal. In my own detailed research, however, I found little evidence of tribal customs that uphold gender-equal inheritance, except rare examples of some (not all) matrilineal communities. Even among these – such as the Garos in Meghalaya – customs favouring women have been seriously eroded over time. I believe the way forward is to codify the inheritance laws for tribal communities to make them gender equal, while strengthening other institutions to ensure that the broader aspects of tribal identity and culture, that the communities value, remain protected. Beyond legal reform Even with statutory law, tribal women will need protection (like Hindu women do) to deal with pressure from brothers to sign away their shares. Here it will be important to have both civil society oversight when inheritance shares are registered by the village patwari (or tribal equivalent), as well as judicial oversight, such as having women sign an affidavit if they want to forfeit their shares (to provide a layer of protection against family pressure), as Hindu women have to do. Equally, as with women of other communities, tribal women will need civil society and media efforts to enhance their awareness of their legal rights, and their knowledge of out-of-court mediating bodies, such as Nari Adalats, as well as of government provisions for legal aid, should they wish to contest their claims. While legal reform alone cannot guarantee women's ownership and control over property in practice, since social norms often trump progressive reform, it is still an essential step towards that goal. Here the 17 July 2025 Supreme Court Judgement – passed 20 years after the HSAA was reformed for Hindu women – is a very welcome first step. Bina Agarwal is Professor of Development Economics and Environment, GDI, The University of Manchester & Institute of Economic Growth, Delhi. The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.
Time of India
25-06-2025
- Time of India
Panna police solve milk trader's murder; black magic suspicion led to killing
Bhopal: Police in Panna district say they have solved the mystery behind the disappearance and murder of a local milk trader whose body was found in two pieces earlier this month in a field near Kishangarh, Chhatarpur. The victim, Santosh Sharma, had gone missing on May 31 while heading out to deliver milk. His body was found on June 4 buried in two separate pits, with the torso in one and the head in another, about 100 meters apart. According to police, Santosh was murdered by his neighbour Ramcharan Gond, along with his sons-in-law Jitendra and Ajay Gond, and a 14-year-old boy. The accused believed Santosh had performed black magic that caused long-term illness in Ramcharan's wife and others in the family. An exorcist had allegedly pointed toward someone in the locality. The accused tracked Santosh's movements for four days and executed the murder on May 31. As Santosh left his house on a bicycle, the boy struck him with an iron rod. The others then strangled him with a towel. The body was carried on a bike to Chhatarpur with plans to dump it in a forest. But as they ran out of fuel, they buried the body in a field, cutting it into two parts to avoid identification. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo The breakthrough came when villagers noticed freshly dug soil and informed police. Panna police matched the clothing and footwear with the missing person's report filed by Santosh's son. Investigation into phone records and mobile locations confirmed that Ramcharan and the victim were at the same place on the day of the crime. Ramcharan was arrested on June 22 and later confessed, naming the others. Santosh's son Golu, who was scheduled to be married on June 2, had to cancel the wedding. All four accused have been arrested. The minor has been presented before the Juvenile Justice Board. Bhopal: Police in Panna district say they have solved the mystery behind the disappearance and murder of a local milk trader whose body was found in two pieces earlier this month in a field near Kishangarh, Chhatarpur. The victim, Santosh Sharma, had gone missing on May 31 while heading out to deliver milk. His body was found on June 4 buried in two separate pits, with the torso in one and the head in another, about 100 meters apart. According to police, Santosh was murdered by his neighbour Ramcharan Gond, along with his sons-in-law Jitendra and Ajay Gond, and a 14-year-old boy. The accused believed Santosh had performed black magic that caused long-term illness in Ramcharan's wife and others in the family. An exorcist had allegedly pointed toward someone in the locality. The accused tracked Santosh's movements for four days and executed the murder on May 31. As Santosh left his house on a bicycle, the boy struck him with an iron rod. The others then strangled him with a towel. The body was carried on a bike to Chhatarpur with plans to dump it in a forest. But as they ran out of fuel, they buried the body in a field, cutting it into two parts to avoid identification. The breakthrough came when villagers noticed freshly dug soil and informed police. Panna police matched the clothing and footwear with the missing person's report filed by Santosh's son. Investigation into phone records and mobile locations confirmed that Ramcharan and the victim were at the same place on the day of the crime. Ramcharan was arrested on June 22 and later confessed, naming the others. Santosh's son Golu, who was scheduled to be married on June 2, had to cancel the wedding. All four accused have been arrested. The minor has been presented before the Juvenile Justice Board.
Time of India
19-06-2025
- Time of India
Bengal gaffe: Shyamcharan takes loan from girlfriend, sends brother Ramcharan to loot her flat to repay; both held
KOLKATA: An IT-sector employee, and his brother, were arrested by Baguiati cops for theft of items worth Rs 5 lakh from the former's girlfriend's residence at Deshabandhu Nagar in Baguiati. Accused Shyamcharan Das reportedly took advantage of his girlfriend's business trip to Sikkim and gave the rented flat's keys to his brother Ramcharan, asking him to steal gold jewellery. He directed his brother to the exact spots where the gold was kept in the flat that he often visited. Shyamcharan himself travelled to Sikkim to meet his girlfriend, ensuring he was not seen as a suspect. By the time the trip was over and the theft was discovered on May 30, the woman lodged an FIR against the servants of the building. However, cops checked CCTV footage and identified Shyamcharan's scooty at the crime scene. It was being used by Ramcharan. "On being questioned, Shyamcharan confessed to planning the crime," said an officer. Shyamcharan borrowed Rs 1.5 lakh from the victim and was under pressure to return the money. He planned to sell the jewellery to return the loan and pocket the rest. Shyamcharan and Ramcharan often visited the flat, and no one suspected their involvement. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Откриване на нов магазин, супер 2-в-1 таблет: 50% отстъпка HL Купете сега Undo The stolen items included two necklaces, two bracelets, four earrings, four lockets, and Rs 60,000 in cash. Police have recovered all the stolen gold items. The brothers, originally from Heriya in East Midnapore, have been remanded in police custody. The victim, who has been in a relationship with Shyamcharan for two years, is also from East Midnapore.
Time of India
18-06-2025
- Time of India
Man takes loan from girlfriend, gets brother to loot her flat to repay
Kolkata: An IT-sector employee, and his brother, were arrested by Baguiati cops for theft of items worth Rs 5 lakh from the former's girlfriend's residence at Deshabandhu Nagar in Baguiati. Accused Shyamcharan Das reportedly took advantage of his girlfriend's business trip to Sikkim and gave the rented flat's keys to his brother Ramcharan, asking him to steal gold jewellery. He directed his brother to the exact spots where the gold was kept in the flat that he often visited. Shyamcharan himself travelled to Sikkim to meet his girlfriend, ensuring he was not seen as a suspect. By the time the trip was over and the theft was discovered on May 30, the woman lodged an FIR against the servants of the building. However, cops checked CCTV footage and identified Shyamcharan's scooty at the crime scene. It was being used by Ramcharan. "On being questioned, Shyamcharan confessed to planning the crime," said an officer. Shyamcharan borrowed Rs 1.5 lakh from the victim and was under pressure to return the money. He planned to sell the jewellery to return the loan and pocket the rest. Shyamcharan and Ramcharan often visited the flat, and no one suspected their involvement. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Free Iphone Promos Happening Today Only (See Now) GoSearches | Search Ads Learn More Undo The stolen items included two necklaces, two bracelets, four earrings, four lockets, and Rs 60,000 in cash. Police have recovered all the stolen gold items. The brothers, originally from Heriya in East Midnapore, have been remanded in police custody. The victim, who has been in a relationship with Shyamcharan for two years, is also from East Midnapore.
