STATEMENT: GUARDING FREEDOM
2015-04-27
“The basis of a democratic state is liberty” – Aristotle
“The basis of a democratic state is liberty” – Aristotle
The Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Nosiviwe Noluthando Mapisa-Nqakula, recently announced that the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) would be employed to support the South African Police Service (SAPS), in order to assist in the prevention and suppression of further xenophobic attacks.
The Centre for Constitutional Rights (the CFCR) notes with great concern and condemns the ongoing attacks on foreigners in South Africa – most recently in the province of KwaZulu-Natal.
The Centre for Constitutional Rights (the CFCR) noted with concern a recent media report about the Independent Electoral Commission’s (IEC) unwillingness to allow the use of Afrikaans during one of its meetings in Mossel Bay in the Western Cape.
Annually on 7 April, the World Health Organisation (WHO) celebrates World Health Day.
In commemorating World Health Day, the Centre for Constitutional Rights (the CFCR) notes with concern the deteriorating state of public healthcare services in South Africa – including public hospitals, ambulance services and other health services – further disadvantaging those in South Africa who cannot afford any other medical care.
The South African Constitution protects the rights of everyone in South Africa. Moreover, in section 9, it specifically states that no one may be discriminated against, among others, on the grounds of disability.
The Constitutional Court in a recent judgment affirmed the principle that where a private party successfully litigates against the state, the state is responsible for the payment of the costs of both parties. However, where the private party is unsuccessful in litigation, each party then bears its own costs.
The Centre for Constitutional Rights (the CFCR) welcomes a judgment by the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) in City of Cape Town v South African National Roads Authority Limited & Others in which the Court reiterated the importance of openness as a key constitutional value in our democracy.