Although there are limits to what courts can do, they are obliged to protect the fundamental rights of citizens and to enhance democracy.
This was one of the viewpoints of Prof Karl Klare, George J. & Kathleen Waters Matthews Distinguished Professor in the School of Law at Northeastern University in Boston, USA, on Thursday, 20 August 2015. He delivered the 10th Annual Human Rights Lecture of the HF Oppenheimer Chair in Human Rights Law at the Faculty of Law at Stellenbosch University (SU). Prof Sandra Liebenberg holds the HF Oppenheimer Chair in Human Rights Law.
Proff Sonia Human, Karl Klare, Sandra Liebenberg, Wim de Villiers Photo: Anton Jordaan
This event was attended by the Rector and Vice-Chancellor of SU, Prof Wim de Villiers, the Dean of SU’s Law Faculty, Prof Sonia Human, and a stellar cast of jurists, including retired Constitutional Court Justice, Kate O’Regan, and currently serving Constitutional Court Justices, Edwin Cameron and Johan Froneman, together with a wide cross-section of the legal profession, academics, human rights NGOs, alumni and students.
Klare talked about the separation of powers, that is, the separation of three main spheres of government, namely legislative, executive and judiciary. He also focused on the role of courts to uphold the Constitution and to see to it that fundamental rights of citizens are protected.
Klare said South Africa has embraced the idea that fundamental rights are constitutive of democracy and therefore also the premise that counter majoritarian action by courts is not only justified by democratic ideals but on occasion necessary to fulfil democratic ideals.
“It is a tenet of South African constitutional jurisprudence that when a court issues an order of constitutional invalidity it strengthens and enhances democracy.”
Klare said if the judiciary pursues the values of the Constitution, it will have legitimacy in the eyes of the South African people.
Also attending the Human Rights Lecture, Constitutional Court Justices Cameron, O’Regan and Froneman
Al is daar perke aan wat howe kan doen, is hul steeds verplig om die fundamentele regte van burgers te beskerm en om demokrasie te bevorder.
Dit was een van die standpunte van Prof Karl Klare, George J. & Kathleen Waters Matthews Distinguished Professor van die Regskool aan die Northeastern University in Boston, VSA, op Donderdag 20 Augustus 2015. Hy het die 10de Jaarlikse Menseregte Lesing van die HF Oppenheimer-leerstoel in Menseregte aan die Fakulteit van Regsgeleerdheid van Stellenbosch (US) aangebied. Prof Sandra Liebenberg is tans die bekleër van die HF Oppenheimer-leerstoel in Menseregte
Hierdie gebeurtenis was bygewoon deur die Rektor en Vise-kanselier van die US, Prof Wim De Villiers, die dekaan van die US se Regsfakulteit, Prof Sonia Human, en ʼn sterbelaaide groep van regsgeleerdes, insluitend afgetrede Konstitusionele Hof Regter Kate O’Regan, en dienende Konstitusionele Hof Regters, Edwin Cameron en Johan Froneman, tesame met ʼn wye spektrum van die regsberoep, akademici, menseregte nie-regeringsorganisasies, alumni en studente.
Klare het oor die skeiding van magte gepraat, dit wil sê, die skeiding tussen die drie hoof regeringsfere, naamlik die wetgewende, die uitvoerende en die regsprekende. Hy het ook gefokus op die howe se rol om die Grondwet te handhaaf en om toe te sien dat die fundamentele regte van burgers beskerm word.
Klare het gesê dat Suid-Afrika die idee dat fundamentele regte een van die kernelemente van ʼn demokrasie is, aanvaar het en dus ook die veronderstelling dat teen-meerderheid aksies deur howe nie net geregverdig is deur demokratiese ideale nie maar soms ook nodig om is om demokratiese ideale te vervul.
“Dit is ʼn beginsel in Suid-Afrikaanse staatsreg dat wanneer ʼn hof ʼn bevel van grondwetlike ongeldigheid lewer dit demokrasie versterk en verhoog.”
Klare het gesê dat as die howe die waardes van die Grondwet nastreef, sal dit legitimiteit in die oë van Suid-Afrikaanse mense meebring.