Raymond Zondo, South Africa’s new chief justice.
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Zondo’s career is made up of a tapestry of highlights, from lawyer to senior judge. He has written more than 200 judgments.
Prince Misuzulu, second from the left, attends the provincial memorial service for his mother, the late Mantfombi Dlamini, at the Khangelakamankegane Royal Palace in Nongoma, in May 2021.
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When judges, legislators, and policymakers neglect the foundational dynamics of indigenous customs, they worsen conflict between indigenous laws and state laws.
Former South African president Nelson Mandela on his 91st birthday in 2009.
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The death of Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu in 2021 has triggered renewed frustrations over the elusiveness of a “new” South Africa.
President of South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal Mandisa Maya has been recommended as the country’s next Chief Justice.
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The egregious failures in the Judicial Service Commission’s process have muddied the water and complicated the President’s decision-making.
A man gets vaccinated at the recent launch by President Cyril Ramaphosa of a vaccination campaign.
in Katlehong, Gauteng Province.
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Most adults were prepared to sacrifice their rights to ensure the safety and health of all during the pandemic, averaging 74%.
Former South African Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng.
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A strong, courageous and dedicated Chief Justice will provide the leadership desperately needed to turn the administration of justice around.
Residents of Masiphumelele informal settlement in Cape Town gather to collect food parcels provided by One South Africa Movement representative.
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It is becoming increasingly clear that South Africa’s policymakers can no longer ignore the country’s obligations in terms of international, regional and national human rights law.
The apex court must decide if the elections can be free and fair amid the pandemic.
EFE-EPA/Yeshiel Panchia
The right to free and fair elections may be undermined if political parties cannot campaign due to COVID-19 restrictions by the state.
South Africa’s controversial new Speaker of Parliament, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula.
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The ANC’s choice of parliamentary Speaker reflects poorly on the party leadership and contrasts starkly with President Cyril Ramaphosa’s commitment to uncorrupt governance.
The notion of vaccine mandates is being debated all over the world as some states move to legally require COVID-19 vaccination.
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At its core, the constitution holds a moral vision of people as autonomous moral agents, capable of rationally forming their own opinions.
Some political parties, including the Economic Freedom Fighters, want municipal elections postponed because they can’t host campaign rallies.
EFE-EPA/Kim Ludbrook
It’s not convincing to argue that the political parties would not be able to campaign as they have done in the past.
South African president Cyril Ramaphosa delivers a speech next to a statue of the late former president Nelson Mandela in Cape Town in 2020.
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The extent to which presidents adhere to the constitutional written code will have profound implications in relation to their use of executive power.
Former South African president Jacob Zuma stands in the dock at a separate trial at the Pietermaritzburg High Court in May.
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South Africa has many problems. But, as Jacob Zuma has found out, the strength of its rule of law and the independence of its judiciary should not be underestimated.
A rural homestead in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
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The judgment highlights the lack of interest by successive government ministers in curtailing the self-interested actions of rural elites.
One of the problems with traditional courts is that they marginalise women.
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Denying people the right to opt out of the traditional court system conflicts with the notion of customary law as a voluntary and consensual system of law.
Protesters clash with police in February in Cape Town over student funding.
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Instead of being a democratic right and legitimate form of expression, protests have increasingly been framed as threats to national security.
Growing poverty and unemployment have seen shacklands mushroom in post-apartheid South Africa.
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The country still has a way to go in addressing the challenges of social inequity. But there has been some progress in every sphere of government.
The late Kimi Makwetu was mortified by the extent of corruption.
Kimi Makwetu embodied the values of integrity, selflessness, humility and hard work. He steadfastly believed in the South African constitution.
Young Sandi Sile on an abandoned structure in Makhanda, South Africa, in 2013. Questions remain about how the new law will treat abandoned land.
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The proposed new law has a long history. The country has been trying for almost 12 years now to come up with expropriation legislation that is in line with the constitution.
A mural in Maboneng, Johannesburg.
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A realignment is needed as the current systems have lost the competence to midwife a new nation out of the formative experiences of the last 25 years.