M.Ed. / Please refer to full text to view abstract

AFRIKAANS: In 1994 het die Republiek van Suid-Afrika 'n nuwe konstitusionele era betree. Die Grondwet van die Republiek van Suid-Afrika Wet 200 van 1993 (die interim Grondwet), wat in werking getree het op 27 April 1994, het basiese menseregte en vryhede aan alle Suid-Afrikaners gewaarborg. Grondwetlike beginsel II in Bylae 4 daarvan, het onder meer die volgende voorskrif ten aansien van die inhoud van die finale grondwetlike teks bevat: “Elkeen moet alle universeel aanvaarde fundamentele regte, vryhede en burgerlike vryhede genlet, waarvoor voorslening gemaak moet word en wat beskerm moet word deur verskanste en beregbare bepalings in die Grondwet, wat opgestel moet word na behoorlike inagnemlng van, onder andere, die fundamentele regte vervat in Hoofstuk 3 van hlerdle Grondwet." Vervolgens het die Konstitusionele Hof voortgegaan om die finale grondwetllke teks aan grondwetllke beginsel II te toets met die oog op die sertifisering en inwerkingtreding daarvan. Een van die besware wat teen die grondwetlike teks ingebring was, was dat daar geen uitdruklike voorsiening vir die erkenning en beskerming van regte ten aansien van die gesin en die gesinslewe voorkom nie, terwyl sodanige regte in die algemeen erkenning geniet in internasionale menseregte-instrumente en in die grondwette van verskeie state. Die beswaar is deur die Konstitusionele Hof van die hand gewys. Die finale Grondwet, Wet 108 van 1996, het in 1996 in werking getree sonder die uitdruklike insluiting van fundamentele regte betreffende die gesin en gesinslewe. Die moontllke uitdruklike erkenning en beskerming van fundamentele regte ten aansien van die gesin en gesinslewe in die Grondwet; die betekenis en inhoud van die konsep "gesin" en "gesinslewe" vir doeleindes van die beskerming bepleit; die hedendaagse belang van die gesin; die juridiese aard van fundamentele regte ten aansien van die gesin en gesinslewe; die inhoud, omvang en beperking van fundamentele regte ten aansien van die gesin en gesinslewe; die effek van regte ten aansien van die gesin en gesinslewe op die ouer-kind verhouding; die omgangsreg en reg op inllgting van ouers en hul minderjarige kinders asook op diverse aspekte van die Suid-Afrikaanse reg; en laastens, die moontllke toekomstige ontwikkellng en uitbreiding van sodanige reg(te). As basis vir die ondersoek dien 'n regsvergelykende studie van die uitleg van artikel 8 van die Europese Verdrag vir die Beskerming van die Regte en Fundamentele vryhede van die Mens deur die Europese Hof vir die Regte van die Mens. Artikel 8 lui: "1. Everyone has the right to respect for his private and family life, his home and his correspondence (eie kursivering). 2. There shall be no interference by a public authority with the exercise of this right except such as In accordance with the law and Is necessary in a democratic society In the interests of national security, public safety or the economic well-being of the country, for the prevention of disorder or crime, for the protection of health or morals, or for the protection of the rights and freedoms of others." Benewens die beslissings van die Europese Hof vir die Regte van die Mens word die posisie in Nederland spesifiek onder die loep geneem met verwysing na die toepassing van artikel 8 deur die Hoge Raad op die Nederlandse reg. Die waarde van die ondersoek is egter nie afhanklik van die korrektheid al dan nie, van die siening dat die gesin en gesinslewe uitdruklike beskerming behoort te geniet nie. Selfs indien aanvaar word dat die gesin en gesinslewe wel voldoende indirekte beskerming in die Grondwet geniet, 5005 deur die Konstitusionele Hof beslis, is vrae na aspekte soos wat 'n gesin uitmaak en wat 'n reg op die gesin en gesinslewe inhou steeds in 'n groot mate onbeantwoord. 'n Ondersoek van die aard is dus van groot nut om antwoorde op die vrae te bied. Uit die ondersoek blyk verder dat die mate van (indirekte) beskerming wat die gesin (en gesinslede) geniet, groter effektiwiteit sal verkry indien uitdruklike regte ten aansien van die gesin en gesinslewe wel in die Grondwet vervat sou word. Pogings om aspekte van die gesinslewe onder artikels wat indirekte beskerming verleen tuis te bring is dikwels geforseerd terwyl sodanige aspekte internasionaal met groter gemak hanteer word deur dit onder 'n uitdruklike reg op respek vir die gesinslewe tuis te bring. In die proefskrif word ten slotte aanbeveel dat die volgende reg(te) in die Grondwet vervat word: "(1) Die gesin geniet die spesiale beskerming van die staat. (2) Elkeen het die reg op respelk vir die gesinslewe." ENGLISH: In 1994 South Africa entered a new constitutional era. Its interim Constitution, the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Act 200 of 1993, which came into operation on 27 April 1994, guaranteed to all south Africans basic human rights and freedoms. Constitutional principle II thereof contained the following instruction regarding the content of the final constitutional text: "Everyone shall enjoy all universally accepted fundamental rights, freedoms and civil liberties, which shall be provided for and protected by entrenched and justiciable provisions in the Constitution, which shall be drafted after having given due consideration to inter alia the fundamental rights contained In Chapter 3 of this Constitution." Consequently, the Constitutional Court had to ascertain whether the final constitutional text complied with this principle in view of the certification and implementation thereof. One of the complaints against the final text was the absence of explicit recognition and protection of rights with regard to the family and family life, whilst such rights enjoyed general recognition in international human rights instruments and in the constitutions of several states. The Constitutional court rejected this complaint. The final Constitution, Act 108 of 1996, came into operation in 1996 without the explicit inclusion of fundamental rights with regard to the family and family life. The following aspects are investigated in the thesis: The possible explicit recognition and protection of fundamental rights with regard to the family and family life in the Constitution; the meaning and content of the concept "family" and "family life" for the purpose of the envisaged protection; the present-day importance of the family; the content, extent and limitation of fundamental rights with regard to the family and family life; the effect of rights with regard to the family and family life on the parent-child relationship and the right to access and information of parents and their minor children as well as on sundry aspects of the south African law. Lastly, the possible future development and expansion of such right(s) is investigated. As basis for the investigation serve a comparative study of the interpretation of article 8 of the European Convention for the protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms by the European court for Human Rights. Article 8 stipulates: "1. Everyone has the right to respect for his private and family life, his home and his correspondence (my italics). 2. There shall be no interference by a public authority With the exercise of this right except such as in accordance with the law and Is necessary in a democratic society in the interests of national security, public safety or the economic well-being of the country, for the prevention of disorder or crime, for the protection of health or morals, or for the protection of the rights and freedoms of others." Apart from the judgments of the European Court for Human Rights the position in the Netherlands is specifically investigated with reference to the application of article 8 by the Hoge Raad on Dutch law. The value, however, of this investigation is not dependant on the correctness or not of the view that the family and family life should enjoy explicit protection in the Constitution. Even if one accepts that the family and family life enjoys sufficient indirect protection in the Constitution as decided by the Constitutional court, aspects such as what constitutes a family and the content of such right(s) are in a large degree unanswered. An investigation of this nature is thus of great value in order to provide answers to such questions. The investigation further indicates that the degree to which the family enjoys indirect protection will receive greater effect if explicit rights with regard to the family and family life are contained in the Constitution. Attempts to deal with aspects of family life under sections of the Constitution which presumably afford indirect protection is often forcing the issue whilst such issues are internationally dealt with great ease under an explicit right to respect for family life. In the thesis it is finally recommended that the following rights should be contained in the Constitution: "(1) The family enjoys the special protection of the state. (2) Everyone has the right to respect for family life." / Thesis (LLD)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Private Law / unrestricted

The definition of genocide encompasses not only the killing of a protected group as is so often erroneously believed, but also inter alia the causing of serious bodily and mental harm to a group and deliberately inflicting conditions of life on a group calculated to bring about its destruction in whole or in part. Eight stages have been identified through which conventional genocide goes. There is a closed list of four groups named in the Genocide Convention in respect of which genocide can be perpetrated. Problems have been experienced with the classification and the determination whether a group should qualify or not. In answer to this problem, the definition of the groups should be seen cohesively and attempts should preferably not be made to compartmentalise any group suspected of being targeted for genocide. The special intent required for genocide sets it apart from other crimes against humanity. The intention that needs to be proven is the desire to exterminate a group as such in whole or in part. The mention of “in part” opens the door for genocide to be perpetrated against a small sub-group which conforms to the definition of a group. The white Afrikaner farmer forms part of the larger white Afrikaner group residing in South Africa. Incitement to genocide is an inchoate crime and is regarded as a lesser crime reflected in lower sentences being passed for incitement than for genocide itself. The requirements are that the incitement must be direct and public. The required intention to incite must also be proven for a conviction to follow. The farmer who laid the complaint with the International Criminal Court, did so in the hope that the Prosecutor would utilise his or her proprio motu powers to instigate an investigation in South Africa regarding white Afrikaner farmers. The complaint and petition as well as the statistics used by the farmer paint the picture of incitement to genocide and possible genocide. The allegations are not specific and will have to be proven in a court of law for any such finding to follow. / Abstract

With this piece of work an attempt is made to have a objective evaluation of the influence of South Africa's Bill of rights on the common law of Defamation. the following aspects are being highlighted: The general application of the Bill of Rights and its relevant sections; A comparative study of the application of Bill of Rights with special reference to the United States, Canada, India and Germany; The law of Defamation under a new legal order, with specific reference to whether the Bill of Rights does apply to Defamation and if so how will it change the current common law of Defamation. / Text in Afrikaans / Law / LL.M.

Text in Afrikaans / Summaries in English and Afrikaans / Die Konstitusionele Hof het ir:i S v Makwanyane besluit dat die doodstraf nie versoenbaar is met die Grondwet nie en dit ongeldig verklaar. Die kritiek teenoor die regbank en die openbare mening oor die doodstraf was nog altyd s6 prominent dat die hof nie anders kon as om hieraan aandag te skenk nie. Die hof besluit dat die openbare mening nie 'n rol speel in die hersieningsproses nie. In hierdie verhandeling word die hof se standpunte en red es daarvoor ontleed. Ek kom tot die gevolgtrekking dat die hof korrek bes I is het. Die open bare mening is onseker. Daar is 'n verskil tussen die aard van die waardes in die Grondwet en die aard van die open bare mening. Die kritiek op die uitspraak is te wyte aan die gebrek aan insig en begrip onder lede van die gemeenskap oor die nuwe bestel en die rol van die regbank daarin. / The Constitutional Court in S v Makwanyane declared that the death penalty was inconsistent with the Constitution. The criticism on courts and the public opinion on the death penalty have been so severe that the court could not have but considered these issues. The court concluded that public opinion is not relevant in constitutional review. In this dissertation, I analyze the court's viewpoints and the reasons therefor. My conclusion is that the court made the correct decision. The public opinion is uncertain, and differs from values. The judgment is criticised due to a lack of understanding amongst the public as to the meaning of the new dispensation and the role of our courts therein. / Law / Thesis (LL.M.)--Universiteit van Suid-Afrika, 1996.

LL.M. / Please refer to full text to view abstract

M.A. (National Strategy) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

A dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Arts by Dissertation to the School of Social Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2016 / This dissertation is an investigation of the conditions that would bring about the legal enforcement of the right to access sufficient food in South Africa as premised on the Constitution. This is motivated by the fact that modern-society has seen a gradual increase in the occurrence of socio-economic rights being protected through the legal opportunity structure of countries, ultimately leading to public interest litigation. At present, the right to food is being violated in South Africa. Taking into account the ambit of the constitution and several international instruments that speak to its realisation and the fact that there has been litigation on other socio-economic rights, suggesting that tools for litigation are in place, it is perplexing that right to food litigation has not taken place. The research question of this paper is therefore: which factors and conditions would have to be present for there to arise public interest litigation on the right to food in South Africa? Due to the fact that literature on right to food litigation is almost non-existent, especially for the African context, this is an explorative case study. The dissertation utilises an analytical framework to study the prospect of litigation on the right to food becoming a reality. The study is largely theory-driven, relying on various sources of evidence: secondary literature, conducted-research and official state documents speaking to the countries right to food narrative. The analysis reveals that there are many barriers to right to food litigation in South Africa. These mainly have to do with the conditions that impact the manner in which right to food violations are understood by the poor and marginalised in society on one hand and the responsiveness of the courts to the voice of the marginalised and poor on the other. The dissertation concludes that the most crucial factors for right to food litigation in South Africa to arise are the need for more information and awareness around the right to food; improved legal assistance for the hungry and poor; more trust in the legal system amongst those at the bottom of the pyramid; the need for a stronger focus on litigation strategies by civil society and advocacy groups and the need for judges to be more innovative in carrying-out their duties. The conclusions of this study have relevance for those working actively for the promotion and realisation of the right to food in South Africa. / GR2017

Detention without trial can be a formidable government weapon against political opponents. In South Africa this weapon has been fashioned into a multiple warhead. There are currently seven security law detention provisions on the statute book, of which one is dormant but can be activated by the State President. Non security law detention, for example detention under drug laws, will not be discussed in this paper. While the seven detention laws are of varying severity and serve different purposes, they are best classified and explained under two main categories or groups - preventive detention and pre-trial detention.

Thesis (LLM) --University of Limpopo, 2010