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
Debate invitation: “The Constitution does not reflect the moral views of the majority”
THIS HOUSE BELIEVES THE CONSTITUTION DOES NOT ADEQUATELY REFLECT THE MORAL VIEWS OF THE MAJORITY
PROPOSITION SPEAKER ONE: EUSEBIUS MCKAISER SPEAKER TWO: AUBREY MATSHIQI
OPPOSITION SPEAKER ONE: NICK FERREIRA SPEAKER TWO: MAZIBUKO JARA
– Eusebius McKaiser is a political commentator, columnist & associate at the Centre for the Study of Democracy; studied and taught philosophy & formerly ranked one of the top 20 debaters in the world.
– Nick Ferreira is an overqualified lawyer: Oxford PHD in philosophy (Rhodes scholar) and Unisa LLB; currently a law clerk to Justice Edwin Cameron & formerly a World Debate Championship semi- finalist.
– Aubrey Matshiqi is a senior researcher at the Centre for Policy Studies and a weekly columnist for Business Day; one of the top political analysts and media commentators in SA today.
– Mazibuko Jara is Senior Researcher: Law, Race and Gender Research Unit, Faculty of Law, University of Cape Town and a PhD Candidate: Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Cape
THE DEBATE: The majority of South Africans are morally conservative. Any poll on issues such as abortion, the death penalty, gay rights or spanking kids shows this to be the case. And yet the constitution and constitutional court judgments are very liberal. On moral and social issues, there is therefore a giant gap between the values enshrined in the constitution and what most of us think, feel and believe. In this debate we ask whether or not the constitution adequately reflects the moral views of the majority. Does it? Do come along, be entertained and engage!
WHEN? 31st MAY 2010
TIME? 530pm for 6pm
WHERE? GIBS BUSINESS SCHOOL, MELVILLE RD, ILLOVO, JHB
MODERATOR: Joe Roussous (Wits Debate Union)
RSVP: KATIE MCNALLY ( mcnallyk@gibs.co.za )
Drinks and snacks served afterwards
