The South African Constitution, with its Bill of Rights, represents a decisive break with the past and a great advance by South Africans in reclaiming their human dignity and fundamental freedoms. Before 1993 punishment of crime was defined by the social order which had been designed under the apartheid government; prisoners were generally subjected to cruel and degrading treatment while criminal suspects could be detained indefinitely and without trial. The penal system was to some extent directed at controlling and regulating the conduct of Blacks. The constitutional dispensation has resulted in a re-look at our penal policy and has placed great emphasis on the rights of prisoners. These rights flow from the rights to equality, dignity and liberty. The Constitution has entrenched certain rights of criminal suspects, including the right to a fair trial. Legislation has been introduced to ensure compliance with the constitutional imperatives. The new dispensation has given rise to debate on many issues, and facilitated a rise of a victims’ movement seeking to promote victim interests. This movement has noted that offenders and alleged offenders enjoy a series of constitutional rights, and that corresponding rights for crime victims need to be introduced. Victims are unlikely to be accorded rights in the literal sense of the word; nevertheless, they need to be accommodated within the criminal justice system. This need has given birth to a charter for crime victims, a document that seeks to empower crime victims. The perception remains, however, that offenders and crime suspects still enjoy too much protection, to the detriment of victim interests. The development of victim rights is hampered by the adversarial nature of the country’s criminal justice system and the perception that victims have no role to play within the criminal process, other than as witnesses. The purpose of the thesis is to analyse the extent to which our Bill of Rights strikes a balance between the interests of alleged offenders and offenders on the one hand, and crime victims on the other. It also seeks to create awareness about the plight of crime victims and to make suggestions on possible solutions. / Criminal & Procedural Law / LLD (Criminal & Procedural Law)

LL.M.

Traditional ethical views have tended to define moral agency from the patriarchal perspective. Seen and defined from this perspective, it has been maintained that women are not transmitters or teachers of good morals, let alone makers of sound moral judgments. This biased stance on women and moral agency is not only prevalent in Western traditional ethical approaches. It is also found in the thinking and practice of contemporary African society. Contrary to traditional ethical views on moral agency, both Western and African, this work argues that African women are good moral agents. They have always demonstrated moral responsibility through participation in the overall life of their society. To ensure maximum participation of all African women in society, the dissertation suggests that a process of conscientization for a liberative culture should become a priority for African society. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / M. Th. (Theological Ethics)

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.

Thesis (LLD)--University of Stellenbosch, 2002. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The central issue which is considered in this thesis is the meaning of the constitutional guarantees of religious rights and freedoms in South Africa. In other words, it is concerned with the functions of the state, through its laws or conduct, in respect of religion and with its relationship towards the institutional church or religious community. It is argued that religious freedom is, in fact, a bundle of rights and freedoms. The "essential rights and freedoms of religion" which constitute this "bundle" are identified in the context of the historical development of religious rights. It is shown that religious rights theories have developed in the West which include concepts of freedom of conscience, the right to freely exercise religion, accommodation of pluralism of a confessional and institutional nature, equality of all religions before the law, nondiscrimination on the grounds offaith, institutional separation of church and state and some separation of state (or law) and religion. It is maintained that no single principle could by itself guarantee religious freedom and that these rights and freedoms are mutually. supportive of and mutually subservient to the highest goal of guaranteeing religious freedom. These essential rights and freedoms are therefore treated as constituting minimum standards for the protection of religious freedom and it is argued that religious freedom as protected in the South African Constitution should be interpreted to incorporate these multiple principles. It is shown that, prior to the promulgation of the interim Constitution the essential rights and freedoms of religion were not adequately protected in South Africa and that the constitutional entrenchment of these essential religious rights was necessitated by various factors in the preconstitutional South African society. The position with regard to religious rights and freedoms in post-Constitutional South Africa is considered by briefly sketching the broader constitutional context and by assessing the constitutional clauses protecting religious rights to determine whether the essential rights are protected. The religious rights provisions in the Constitution are analysed in detail in order to determine how they should be interpreted and implemented to ensure adequate protection of the essential rights and freedoms of religion in South Africa. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die sentrale vraagstuk wat in hierdie proefskrif ondersoek word is die betekenis van godsdiensregte en vryhede wat in die Grondwet verskans word. Dit ondersoek die funksie van die staat, hetsy deur wetgewing of staatsoptrede, ten opsigte van godsdiens en ten opsigte van kerke of godsdiensgroepe. Daar word geargumenteer dat godsdiensregte inderdaad uit 'n aantal regte, oftewel, 'n bondel regte, bestaan. Die essensiële regte en vryhede van godsdiens wat hierdie bondelopmaak word geïdentifiseer met verwysing na die historiese ontwikkeling van godsdiensregte. Teorieë van godsdiensregte het in die Weste ontwikkel wat die volgende essensiële regte en vryhede insluit: vryheid van gewete, die reg om godsdiens vrylik te beoefen, akkommodasie van pluralisme, gelykheid van alle godsdienste en nie-diskriminasie op grond van godsdiens, institusionele skeiding van kerk en staat en gedeeltelike skeiding van staat en godsdiens. Die argument lui verder dat 'n enkele beginsel nie opsigself godsdiensvryheid kan waarborg nie en dat hierdie regte en vryhede mekaar wedersyds ondersteun en tesame die doel van godsdiensvryheid dien. Die essensiële regte en vryhede van godsdiens word daarom behandel as minimum standaarde vir die beskerming van godsdiensvryheid en daar word 'n saak uitgemaak dat godsdiensvryheid in die Suid-Afrikaanse Grondwet geïnterpreteer behoort te word as synde hierdie veelvuldige beginsels in te sluit. Die proefskriftoon dat die essensiele regte en vryhede nie voor die inwerkingtreding van die interim Grondwet in Suid-Afrika genoegsame beskerming geniet het nie en dat die konstitusionele verskansing daarvan deur verskeie faktore in die pre-konstitusionele Suid- Afrika genoodsaak is. Die posisie na die inwerkingtreding van die Grondwet word geëvalueer deur kortliks die breë grondwetlike konteks te skets en vas te stelof die artikels in die Grondwet wat met godsdiens handel, inderdaad die essensiele regte en vryhede van godsdiens beskerm. Hierdie artikels word in diepte geanaliseer ten einde te bepaal hoe hulle geïnterpreteer en geïmplementeer behoort te word ten einde die essensiele godsdiensregte en vryhede genoegsaam te beskerm.

Child participation and the right of children to be heard in matters that directly affect them, including in judicial and administrative matters, is a right that is entrenched in a number of international and regional instruments. This right is also entrenched in the South African Constitution that provides for children to be legally represented, at State expense, in civil proceedings affecting them and this includes divorce proceedings. However, this constitutional right is limited to those circumstances where a substantial injustice would otherwise result should such legal representation not be afforded. This thesis examined how the voices of children can be heard during divorce proceedings and makes recommendations as to when children involved in divorce proceedings should be granted legal representation at State expense.

Child participation and the right of children to be heard in matters that directly affect them, including in judicial and administrative matters, is a right that is entrenched in a number of international and regional instruments. This right is also entrenched in the South African Constitution that provides for children to be legally represented, at State expense, in civil proceedings affecting them and this includes divorce proceedings. However, this constitutional right is limited to those circumstances where a substantial injustice would otherwise result should such legal representation not be afforded. This thesis examined how the voices of children can be heard during divorce proceedings and makes recommendations as to when children involved in divorce proceedings should be granted legal representation at State expense.

This thesis examined the extent to which South Africa has domesticated the international provisions protecting foreign migrant children. The thesis further investigated procedural gaps and makes recommendations in respect of law and procedure to ensure the adequate protection of the rights of undocumented foreign migrant children in South Africa.

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

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Commerce (Specializing in Taxation), Johannesburg, 2016 / The Tax Administration Act 28 of 2011 (TAA) came into effect on the 1 October 2012 and brought with it significant changes to the South African tax administrative regime, extending the powers of South African Revenue Service (SARS) while also indirectly emphasising taxpayers’ rights. This research report examines the impact that this ‘new legislation’ has had on taxpayers, more especially the procedural and administrative rights of taxpayers. This research report evaluates inherent procedural rights of taxpayers as contained in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa versus the current provisions in TAA and the remedies available to taxpayers should their rights be infringed upon. The research report extends to instances of good tax administrative practices in a few OECD countries and finally concludes with comments on the future of tax administration in South Africa. / MT2017