Textbook Provision for Learners in South Africa: Supreme Court of Appeal Judgment in the BEFA Case
In December 2015, the South African Supreme Court of Appeal (“SCA”) in the case of Minister of Basic Education and Others v Basic Education for All and Others (the “BEFA”...
Bob Hepple’s Legacy in Southern Africa
I would like to devote my tribute specifically to Bob’s legacy in Southern Africa. Simon Deakin in his tribute stated that Bob had two legal lives in which he distinguished...
South African Supreme Court of Appeal Set to Hear the Limpopo Textbooks Case
On 24 November 2015, the South African Supreme Court of Appeal will hear the appeal in what is widely referred to as the ‘Limpopo textbooks case’. The case will, in...
Justice Thembile Skweyiya
We are sad to note the passing of Justice Thembile Skweyiya, formerly judge of the Constitutional Court of South Africa. Justice Skweyiya was a giant of the anti-apartheid struggle and...
In Memory of Bob Hepple
It is with a heavy heart that I write to say farewell to Bob Hepple, who died in the early hours of Friday 21st August. There will be time for...
Long Walk to Education – Scholar Transport Now an Element of the Right to Basic Education in South Africa
In the precedent-setting decision of Tripartite Steering Committee and Another, the Eastern Cape High Court held that the constitutional right to a basic education is ‘meaningless’ unless students have access...
The Marikana Report: Some Justice, Part of the Truth and Many Unanswered Questions (Part II)
The factual context surrounding the Marikana massacre has been discussed before on this blog by Judge Dennis Davis. This post is the second of a two part series on the...
The Marikana Report: Some Justice, Part of the Truth and Many Unanswered Questions (Part I)
Almost three months after the Chair of the Marikana Commission of Inquiry delivered the final report to President Zuma, the report has been released. The context of the incident has...
Small Steps in the Journey Towards Gender Equality on the South African Bench
The 9th July 2015 was an important day for the South African judiciary. For the first time in our history, an all-woman short-list was interviewed for a vacancy on the...
Marikana: A Failure of Regulation and the Reinforcement of Inequality: A Preliminary View
On Thursday 25th June, a judicial commission of inquiry published the Marikana Report into the tragic events at the Marikana mine near Johannesburg in August 2012 that resulted in the...
Fighting for the Right to Education in South Africa
‘Ninety percent of children are now enrolled in primary education in the developing world’. A statistic of success, often used to demonstrate the influence of the MDGs and the goal...
Bram Fischer: Dissent and Challenge From Within
Bram Fischer’s courage entailed a radical challenge to his own heritage, to his family’s history and connections, and to the establishment of his time. We admire him. But too easily...
