Quote of the week
Universal adult suffrage on a common voters roll is one of the foundational values of our entire constitutional order. The achievement of the franchise has historically been important both for the acquisition of the rights of full and effective citizenship by all South Africans regardless of race, and for the accomplishment of an all-embracing nationhood. The universality of the franchise is important not only for nationhood and democracy. The vote of each and every citizen is a badge of dignity and of personhood. Quite literally, it says that everybody counts. In a country of great disparities of wealth and power it declares that whoever we are, whether rich or poor, exalted or disgraced, we all belong to the same democratic South African nation; that our destinies are intertwined in a single interactive polity.
August and Another v Electoral Commission and Others (CCT8/99) [1999] ZACC 3
CASAC joins challenge to extension of term of office of Chief Justice
MEDIA STATEMENT
10 June 2011
CASAC Challenges extension of term of office of Chief Justice
The Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution (CASAC) will challenge the unilateral decision by President Jacob Zuma to extend the term of the office of Chief Justice Sandile Ngcobo.
CASAC will be joining the Centre for Applied Legal Studies (CALS) in the court action. Legal papers are being prepared and will be filed as soon as possible.
CASAC has taken this decision as the actions of the President infringe upon the fundamental principles of the Constitution including the independence of the judiciary and the separation of powers. CASAC will challenge the validity and constitutionality of section 8 of the Judges Remuneration and Conditions of Employment Act.
