Adv battles against bank repossessions in SA

CLASS ACTION SUIT

- ZELDA VENTER

FOR many, taking on the country’s major banks in a R60 billion class action suit may seem like a David vs Goliath exercise, but for legal expert in banking matters, advocate Douglas J Shaw, it is a matter of principle - especially as he has scores of vulnerable people who have lost their homes, counting on him.

The practices of South Africas major banks, which are accused of repossessing people's homes and selling them far below market value, are due to come under the spotlight in February. The Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg, will then be asked to certify the class action.

This is nearly a decade after the R60bn class action suit was launched in 2017. Since the start and up to now, Shaw has been working relentlessly in a bid to bring justice to those who claimed to have lost their homes unjustly.