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
Discussion on appointment of new Public Protector
Appointment processes and our Chapter 9 Institutions
The Goedgedacht Forum and the Institute of Security Studies invite you to join Professor Pierre de Vos (Claude Leon Foundation Chair in Constitutional Governance, Dept. of Public Law UCT) and David Lewis (Executive Director, Corruption Watch) in a discussion facilitated by Judith February (senior research associate, ISS).
Chapter 9 institutions are an important part of our politics and have a vital role to play in the deepening of democracy. They constitute an integral part of the checks and balances needed to ensure that the different arms of government are kept in balance. Recent events have shown just how important these institutions are. In order that they are empowered to do their work, we need to continually look at not only the work that they do, but also that they are properly resourced and that their institutional structures are strengthened. Please join us to add your voice to this important discussion.
Event information
Date: 24th May 2016
Time: 9:30 am for 10:00am – 12:00pm
Venue: Spin Street, Cape Town
Please RSVP before 20th May 2016 to Felicity Harrison: felicity@gforum.co.za
