CONSTITUTIONAL COMMENTARY AND EVENTS
ARTICLES AND STATEMENTS
STATEMENT: FW DE KLERK TO RETURN TO CAPE TOWN
Mr FW de Klerk and his wife Elita have decided to suspend their current working visit and holiday in Europe because of Mr Mandela’s medical condition. They will arrive back in Cape Town tomorrow. Their thoughts are with the Mandela family during this difficult time and they join in their prayers for an improvement in Mr Mandela’s health.
STATEMENT: THE RIGHT TO CRITICISE A SITTING HEAD OF STATE
In a rambling statement earlier today, ANC spokesman Jackson Mthembu took issue with critics of President Zuma. Mr Mthembu was angry about allegations that there are elements within the ANC who fear the President; that President Zuma is beholden to those who supported him when he was accused of corruption; and charges that critics “cannot even wait for the Public Protector and other respected institutions created by our constitution to investigate and make public their findings regarding the Nkandla allegations”.
STATEMENT: THE OPEN-ENDED NATURE OF BROAD-BASED BLACK ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT
When he briefed the media yesterday before the debate on the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Bill in Parliament, Minister of Trade and Industry, Rob Davies, said that the country was nowhere near the point where a sunset clause for BBBEE measures could be considered. He said that according to a -007 survey by the University of Pretoria, most companies were still at the lowest level of BBBEE.
PODCASTS
SUBMISSIONS
SPEECHES
EVENTS
STATEMENT: TURNING OFF THE TAP – ZUMA TO PAY HIS OWN LEGAL COSTS
In an important judgment issued by the North Gauteng High Court today, the constitutional principle of accountability, as well as the protection of the Rule of Law, were reaffirmed. This judgment affirmed that valuable and scarce State resources should not be diverted on a grand scale to finance the defence of public officials charged with corruption.
The High Court held that the State is not liable to pay Mr Zuma’s personal legal costs in the criminal prosecutions against him. These relate to fraud, money laundering, corruption and racketeering. His personal legal costs are estimated to be over R16 million. The High Court also declared the Presidency and State Attorney’s decision to cover Mr Zuma’s legal costs – incurred in his personal capacity to defend these criminal prosecutions and litigation related thereto – to be invalid and set aside.
STATEMENT BY FW DE KLERK ON 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF HIS ACCEPTANCE OF THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE
Twenty-five years have passed since the cold winter’s day in Oslo when Nelson Mandela and I were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
In my acceptance speech I observed that peace was a frame of mind:
“It is a frame of mind in which countries, communities, parties and individuals seek to resolve their differences through agreements, through negotiation and compromise, instead of threats, compulsion and violence.”
I said that peace was also a framework.
“It is a framework consisting of rules, laws, agreements and conventions – a framework providing mechanisms for the peaceful resolution of the inevitable clashes of interest between countries, communities, parties and individuals. It is a framework within which the irresistible and dynamic processes of social, economic and political development can be regulated and accommodated.”
ARTICLE: INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS DAY 2018 – #STANDUP4HUMANRIGHTS
International Human Rights Day is observed every year on 10 December. This day coincides with the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in 1948 by the United Nations General Assembly. This year, the UDHR celebrates 70 years of existence as a document that was born from the human rights atrocities that were committed during World War II and as a reminder that such violations should never occur again. Despite this powerful document, a testament to a recognition and undertaking by the international community of equal human rights for all, 70 years later, the world finds itself in a perpetual state of human rights violations. From conflict in Africa and the Middle East where young children are used in combat, to the advent of cybercrimes that consistently violate the privacy and safety of world’s citizens, there is nobody who is untouched by human rights infringements.
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