The FW de Klerk Foundation with sadness observes the passing of Professor Marinus Wiechers, a member of the advisory panel of the Foundation’s Centre for Constitutional Rights (CFCR). However, we also rejoice in the life and significant achievements of Marinus Wiechers.

Professor Wiechers was one of South Africa’s first and foremost legal constitutional experts. He played a significant role in the drafting of both the Namibian and the South African constitutions.  He was a consummate academic, with numerous research outputs and books of international quality. As Vice-Chancellor of UNISA, he played an important role in leading the largest South African university into a new era.  

The FW de Klerk Foundation would like to congratulate Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi on his 90th birthday today. He is one of the longest-serving members of Parliament and is one of the most consistent politicians our country has had in the last 40 years.

The FW de Klerk Foundation welcomes today’s majority judgment handed down by the Constitutional Court regarding the position of the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP). It is further testament to the tenacious efforts to ensure the adherence to the Rule of Law by civil society, given that the application before the Court was launched by Corruption Watch, Freedom Under Law (FUL) and CASAC. The judgment, which comes five months after the matter was argued, brings finality to the question of whether Shaun Abrahams is rightfully in the office, given the unlawful departure of his predecessor, Mxolisi Nxasana. 

The strongly-worded judgment in which former President Jacob Zuma is said to have abused his power in the unlawful removal of Nxasana perhaps reflects exasperation on the part of the Judiciary. Yet again, the courts are forced to intervene in a matter involving the abuse of power and political interference in State institutions.