CONSTITUTIONAL COMMENTARY AND EVENTS
ARTICLES AND STATEMENTS
THE NEW SOUTH AFRICA AT 20: THE NEED FOR REAL TRANSFORMATION
SPEECH BY FORMER PRESIDENT FW DE KLERK TO THE FW DE KLERK FOUNDATION CONFERENCE ON THE NEED FOR REAL TRANSFORMATION, CAPE TOWN, 31 JANUARY 2014
ARTICLE: THE URGENT NEED FOR ECONOMIC LITERACY
In a recent article (abridged in the Cape Times, 20 January 2014) Professor Jane Duncan pointed to the fact that although socialist ideas are widely espoused by the masses there is little reference to socialism in most of our media. She says that objective viewers “would probably conclude that socialism was consigned to the dustbin of politically bankrupt ideas long ago.”
FW de Klerk 2014 Goodwill Award for Patrice Motsepe
FW De Klerk 2014 Goodwill Award goes to Patrice Motsepe The FW de Klerk Foundation is delighted to announce that the recipient of the 4th annual
PODCASTS
SUBMISSIONS
SPEECHES
EVENTS
STATEMENT: FW DE KLERK FOUNDATION ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON “ADDRESSING INEQUALITY”
The FW de Klerk Foundation will dedicate its 2019 Annual Conference on Friday, 1 February, to one of the most critical challenges confronting the nation, inequality. Election years, with their promises and platitudes, have not addressed this grave issue. The Foundation will reflect on this matter but also go further and ask the vital question, “What is to be done?”
Inequality in South Africa is stubbornly high and has over the last 24 years grown increasingly persistent. A 2018 World Bank report aptly sums up the triple challenge confronting the country including, “high poverty, high inequality and high unemployment”. While there is no quick fix to these challenges, the fact of the matter is that if we as a country do not address this deep-rooted problem effectively, we will not be a peaceful, prosperous and harmonious society. In addition, striving for equality is one of the basic mandates of our Constitution.
ARTICLE: UP’S CONFIRMATION OF ENGLISH ONLY
The University of Pretoria (UP) successfully won a court challenge against its “English only” language policy in December 2016. Since then, it prepared the way for this policy to be implemented. Last week, the UP found it necessary to announce that from this year, all first-year students will only be taught in English. This is not new, as the decision was already taken almost three years ago.
Nevertheless, the statement by the UP warrants analysis and commentary, for three significant reasons. Firstly, the media statement made by the UP’s spokesperson, Rikus Delport; secondly the comments by the newly-appointed Vice-Chancellor, Prof Tawana Kupe; and thirdly the tweet on the issue by the Minister of Finance, Tito Mboweni (being a former Chancellor of the former University of the North-West in Mafikeng).
ARTICLE: UNFAIR ALLOCATION – POLICING RESOURCES
In December 2018, the Equality Court handed down judgment in a matter concerning the allocation of police human resources across the Western Cape. The matter was brought in terms of the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act (Equality Act) by the Social Justice Coalition (SJC), Equal Education (EE) and the Nyanga Community Policing Forum (Nyanga CPF). The applicants challenged the allocation of police human resources on the basis that the process discriminated unfairly against black and poor people.
CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUES
- Equality
- Non-racialism
- Gender Rights
- The Constitution
- The Rule of Law
- Multiparty Democracy
- Personal Rights
- Cultural, Religious and Language Rights
- Freedom of Expression and Political Rights
- Social and Economic Rights
- Property Rights
- Education
- Access To The Courts, Information And Fair Adminstration