scholarly journals The South African constitutional Court and the Rule of Law: The Masethla Judgment, A Cause for Concern

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 467
Author(s):  
Rósaan Krüger
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Rule Of Law ◽  
Procedural Fairness ◽  
Constitutional Court ◽  
The South ◽  
Public Power ◽  
The Rule Of Law ◽  
The Republic

The rule of law as a foundational constitutional value constrains the exercise of public power but the precise limits of the constraints it sets are not well defined. In Masethla v President of the Republic of South Africa,[1] the majority of the Constitutional Court opted for an interpretation of this value that frees the President from adherence to the demands of procedural fairness when exercising certain constitutional powers. This note will investigate the soundness of that interpretation against the background of theoretical expositions of the rule of law and earlier Constitutional Court judgments.[1]      2008 1 BCLR 1 (CC).

scholarly journals Od kultury władzy do kultury uzasadniania. Doświadczenia południowoafrykańskie

2017 ◽  
Vol 110 ◽  
pp. 83-94
Author(s):  
Marek Smolak
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Rule Of Law ◽  
Human Dignity ◽  
Constitutional Court ◽  
The South ◽  
The Rule Of Law ◽  
Gradual Shift ◽  
Proportionality Test

FROM THE CULTURE OF AUTHORITY TO THE CULTURE OF JUSTIFICATION. SOUTH AFRICAN EXPERIENCES The article focuses on gradual shift from the culture of authority to the culture of justification in South Africa. In culture of authority, justification for action is provided mainly at the stage of assigning authority and once authority has been assigned, the authorized body needs to offer lit­tle justification for its specific decisions. In aculture of justification even after authority has been assigned, the authorized body must still provide justification for all of its decisions. The culture of justification is associated with the expansive jurisdiction for the South African Constitutional Court. If proportionality is essentially arequirement of justification it is worthy to focus on The South Afri­can Constitutional Court, which has developed original proportionality test. This article examines the application of the test in order to evaluate the progress toward asociety based on human dignity, equality, and freedom. This evaluation is needed not only for South Africa but also for those states which struggle with infringement of the rule of law.

scholarly journals THE RULE OF LAW IN INDIAN ADMINISTRATIVE LAW VERSUS THE PRINCIPLE OF LEGALITY IN SOUTH AFRICAN ADMINISTRATIVE LAW: SOME OBSERVATIONS

Obiter ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Radley Henrico
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Rule Of Law ◽  
Administrative Law ◽  
Indian Constitution ◽  
The Rule Of Law ◽  
Life Assurance ◽  
Equivalent Expression ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Principle Of Legality

The rule of law is expressly mentioned in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996. The principle of legality has flourished in South African administrative law since its recognition and reception into our law in Fedsure Life Assurance Ltd v Greater Johannesburg Transitional Metropolitan Council 1999 (1) SA 374 (CC). The Indian Constitution does not contain an equivalent expression of the rule of law. Notably, how persons and societies in India govern themselves is premised upon beliefs akin to the rule of law. Moreover, Indian administrative law has been strongly influenced by the theory of the rule of law as advocated by Dicey. Whilst Indian administrative law relies heavily upon the rule of law to judicially review conduct that is capricious, South African administrative law has come to rely on the incident of the rule of law, namely the principle of legality. This contribution inspects some of the reasons why the rule of law is heavily relied on in Indian administrative law – where it essentially mirrors the South African administrative law principle of legality. This contribution also suggests reasons as to why the principle of legality is so prevalent in South African administrative law as opposed to merely the rule of law as employed by the Indian courts in Indian administrative law.

scholarly journals TRANSFORMATIVE LEGAL EDUCATION IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN CONTEXT

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ropafadzo Maphosa ◽  
Nomathole Nhlapo
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Legal Education ◽  
Further Education ◽  
Constitutional Court ◽  
The South ◽  
Colonial Era ◽  
The Republic ◽  
The Right

The late former Justice of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of South Africa, Pius Langa, opined that a truly transformative South Africa requires a new approach that places the Constitutional dream at the very heart of legal education. This view is consistent with section 29 of the Constitution which guarantees everyone the right to further education. However, the state has failed to make further (or tertiary) education progressively available and accessible. We believe this can be attributed to the fact that the South African legal education is still riddled with inequalities from the apartheid/colonial era. This article argues that decolonisation of legal education will begin when teachers of the law become cognizant of the reality that their teaching models will shape the future legal landscape, thus it is imperative for law schools to birth law graduates with an unwavering appreciation and willingness to implement constitutional values, such as human dignity and equality in practice. The advancement of these values is enhanced by the Africanisation of legal education which will ultimately legitimize the legal order so that it mirrors the society in which it exists.

HUMAN RIGHTS, CULTURAL DIVERSITY AND CUSTOMARY LAW IN SOUTH AFRICA

2006 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
EVADNÉ GRANT
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Human Rights ◽  
South African ◽  
Customary Law ◽  
Constitutional Court ◽  
The South ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Human Rights Norms ◽  
The Right ◽  
Human Rights Standards

In the joined cases of Bhe v. Magistrate Khayelitsha and Others; Shibi v. Sithole and Others; South African Human Rights Commission and Another v. President of the Republic of South Africa and Another (2005(1) B.C.L.R. 1 (CC)), the South African Constitutional Court held unanimously that the male primogeniture rule according men rights to inheritance not enjoyed by women enshrined in the South African Customary Law of Succession violated the right to equality guaranteed under section 9 of the South African Constitution. On one level, the decision can be seen as a triumph for the universality of human rights norms. On another level, however, the case raises difficult questions about the relationship between human rights and culture. The aim of this paper is to assess the judgment critically in the context of the ongoing debate about the application of international human rights standards in different cultural settings.

scholarly journals THE PRINCIPLE OF LEGALITY AND THE REQUIREMENTS OF LAWFULNESS AND PROCEDURAL RATIONALITY Law Society of South Africa v President of the RSA (2019 (3) SA 30 (CC))

Obiter ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Warren Freedman ◽  
Nkosinathi Mzolo
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Procedural Fairness ◽  
Constitutional Court ◽  
Procedural Rationality ◽  
Public Power ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Republic ◽  
The One ◽  
Principle Of Legality

Apart from conferring a wide range of powers on the President, the Constitution also regulates the manner in which the President may exercise these powers. One of the ways in which the Constitution does this is by imposing an obligation on the President to exercise his or her powers in accordance with the principle of legality, which is an incident of the rule of law. A necessary consequence of this requirement is that a decision of the President may be reviewed and set aside on the grounds that it infringes the principle of legality.From its relatively modest beginnings in Fedsure Life Insurance v Greater Johannesburg Transitional Metropolitan Council (1999 (1) SA 374 (CC)) – where the Constitutional Court held that the exercise of public power is only legitimate when it is lawful – the principle of legality has expanded in leaps and bounds over the past 21 years; today, it encompasses several other grounds of review, including lawfulness, rationality, undue delay and vagueness.Of all of these broad grounds of review, substantive rationality has received the most attention from the courts and today encompasses several other grounds of review itself, such as procedural fairness, procedural rationality, relevant and irrelevant considerations (Democratic Alliance), non-jurisdictional mistake of fact, and, on occasion, the giving of reasons.Unfortunately, the development of the principle of legality has not been all plain sailing, and the rationality jurisprudence of the Constitutional Court has given rise to complex and difficult questions. This is particularly the case when it comes to procedural fairness and procedural rationality. It is not entirely clear what the difference between these two requirements is and in what circumstances the one should be applied rather than the other. The court attempted to address some of these questions in Law Society of South Africa v President of the Republic of South Africa (2019 (3) SA 30 (CC)) (Law Society). The purpose of this note is to discuss this case critically.

scholarly journals ACCESS TO SOCIAL SECURITY FOR NON-CITIZENS: AN INTERNATIONAL, SOUTH AFRICAN AND EUROPEAN VIEW

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taryn Lee Vos
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Social Security ◽  
South African ◽  
Political Stability ◽  
Constitutional Court ◽  
The South ◽  
Foreign Nationals ◽  
European Approach ◽  
The Republic ◽  
The Right

South Africa has become a magnet to a larger group of foreign migrants than the global average. This is due to the fact that it is a front-runner, economically speaking, in Sub-Sahara Africa with a reputation of political stability. The South African Constitution is the supreme law of the Republic, to which all other law is subject. South Africa’s constitutional framework, coupled with immigration legislation and policies, aim to promote the rights enshrined in the Bill of Rights for all individuals living within the borders of the Republic. While certain rights are expressly reserved for citizens only and are largely of a civil or political nature, the remaining rights are those that ‘everyone’, including foreign nationals, may enjoy. Non-citizens within the borders of the Republic receive, inter alia, the protection of South Africa’s basic constitutional values; in particular the right to equality, human dignity and freedom. Socio-economic rights, subject to the limitations clause in section 36 of the Constitution, are also made available to everyone. This includes both citizens and foreign nationals. These rights can be found in section 25, 26, 27, 28 and 29 of the Constitution and relate to issues of access to land, housing, health care, food, social security and education. The focus of this paper will be the right of access to social security for non-citizens, particularly migrants, in South Africa. Who falls within the scope of the term ‘everyone’ as found in section 27 of the Constitution? The international perspective on the issue of social exclusion of non-citizens from accessing social security benefits is briefly dealt with, followed by a discussion of the South African perspective on the matter. The approach of the South African Constitutional Court in respect of the protection of the rights of noncitizens will then be discussed. The European approach to the matter, including the approach of European courts, will then be examined. The concluding paragraphs entail an evaluation of the improvements that can be made to the South African social security system as inspired by the European approach.

Safeguarding the Republic? The South African Police Service, Legitimacy and the Tribulations of Policing a Violent Democracy

2021 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 92-108
Author(s):  
Guy Lamb
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Public Trust ◽  
The South ◽  
Police Service ◽  
South African Police Service ◽  
The Republic ◽  
South African Police ◽  
High Crime ◽  
Excessive Use Of Force

Since 1994 the South African Police Service (SAPS) has undertaken various efforts to build legitimacy in South Africa. Extensive community policing resources have been made available, and a hybrid community-oriented programme (sector policing) has been pursued. Nevertheless, public opinion data has shown that there are low levels of public trust in the police. Using Goldsmith’s framework of trust-diminishing police behaviours, this article suggests that indifference, a lack of professionalism, incompetence and corruption on the part of the police, particularly in high-crime areas, have eroded public trust in the SAPS. Furthermore, in an effort to maintain order, reduce crime and assert the authority of the state, the police have adopted militaristic strategies and practices, which have contributed to numerous cases of excessive use of force, which has consequently weakened police legitimacy in South Africa

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