CONSTITUTIONAL COMMENTARY AND EVENTS
ARTICLES AND STATEMENTS
PODCASTS
SUBMISSIONS
SPEECHES
EVENTS
ARTICLE: ANOTHER OBSTACLE TO ACCOUNTABILITY
On Tuesday, 15 August, a number of African National Congress (ANC) Members of Parliament (MPs) wrote a letter to the party’s Chief Whip, Jackson Mthembu, informing him that they would not be attending any Parliamentary Portfolio Committee meetings chaired by their fellow ANC MP, Makhosi Khoza. They attributed this to her open criticism of President Jacob Zuma and her controversial support for the recently conducted Motion of No Confidence vote. While Mthembu has strongly condemned the conduct of the concerned MPs, the five individuals boycotted the Public Service and Administration Portfolio Committee meeting scheduled to question its corresponding Minister, Faith Muthambi, which is, incidentally, chaired by Khoza.
ARTICLE: MISMANAGEMENT OF WATER AND SEWAGE SYSTEMS INFRINGES CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS TO WATER AND ENVIRONMENT
Cape Town faces a severe water crisis. At the time of writing, dam levels were around 28%, compared to 68% the same time last year, and the City uses over 600 million litres of water per day. Gauteng faced a similar crisis until heavy rains filled the Vaal Dam in February.
Drought is not the sole reason for water shortages. As a 2016 report by the Department of Water and Sanitation noted, “South Africa has been losing water through leaks due to the continued use of the ageing and dilapidated infrastructure.” Media reports in March showed high levels of water wastage through broken pipes. Some pointed to the City of Cape Town, which instated a name-and-shame policy to target water wasters. However, some quarters of civil society accused the City of allowing water networks to deteriorate to the point of releasing 30% to 60% of potable water through leakage.
STATEMENT: SETTING ASIDE THE PUBLIC PROTECTOR’S RECOMMENDATION WELCOMED
The Centre for Constitutional Rights (CFCR) welcomes today’s decision handed down by the Johannesburg High Court regarding the powers of the Public Protector. The decision set aside the Public Protector’s recommendation that the Constitution be amended to change the mandate of the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) and further dismissed the Public Protector’s recommendation that the Chairperson of Parliament’s Committee on Justice and Correctional Services and the SARB submit an action plan detailing how the remedial action recommendation would be implemented.
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