The Judge’s Chambers Interiors of the Court. Andrew Meintjes Interiors of the Court. The Constitutional Court of South Africa: The First Ten Years The security doors The private side of the Court where the judges have their chambers has an equal sense of delight and creativity as the public side of the Court. Gate for …
The Court Chamber The Constitutional Court in session. Guto Bussab The chamber in which the values of our society are debated sits confidently at the heart of the most public space The doors Copper Court chamber door. Andrew Meintjes A photograph of a gold and red Kente cloth spoke to us immediately. The design would …
The name in 11 languages Multi-coloured signage that spells out the Constitutional Court in all official languages. Tebogo Phalane The use of colour is an extension of the judge’s intention ‘to put a smiling face’ on the justice system – imbuing the Court with an unexpectedly friendly and even delightful exterior. The use of colour …
Appointing Judges This method of selection of appointing judges to the Constitutional Court created much debate. In the Technical Committee’s Twelfth Report, it was initially proposed that an independent Judicial Services Commission appoint all judges – except those for the Constitutional Court. It was argued that a different approach was needed, one which recognised the …
Qualifications of the judges Michael Corbett, then Chief Justice of the Appellate Division. Avusa Michael Corbett, Chief Justice of the Appellate Division at the time, had opposed this decision around appointing judges from a category of ‘non-legal’ experts. He believed that the judges of the Constitutional Court should be appointed from the members of the …
The powers of judicial review In making this historic decision of establishing a new and independent court, the negotiators effectively put an end to parliamentary sovereignty. Since 1910, parliamentary sovereignty had been the country’s governance system, which had allowed the whites-only legislature to enact apartheid laws without the scrutiny of a court that had the …
The institutional nature of the Constitutional Court The journey towards this decision had several steps and was altered under the final Constitution: Sensitive to the possibility that the Appellate Division might feel undermined by a new separate court with considerable powers, the negotiators at first proposed that the Appellate Division should remain the final arbiter …
The institutional nature of the Constitutional Court Read More »
Proposed Preamble
Administration Cyril Ramaphosa decided that he couldn’t rely on the already overstretched parliamentary administration to undertake the responsibility for the Constitutional Assembly. They needed to establish their own administration. Ramaphosa immediately approached Hassen Ebrahim, a senior ANC official throughout the Convention for a Democratic South Africa (CODESA) process and who had been a senior official …
Management Committee 12 Members The Management Committee shaped the constitution-writing process at its weekly 8 a.m. meetings in V16, the room used for state security briefings in President PW Botha’s time. From left, deputy executive director Marion Sparg, General Constand Viljoen (FF), Colin Eglin (DP), Mavivi Myakayaka-Manzini (ANC), Mohammed Valli Moosa (ANC), executive director Hassen …
President Mandela gives his State of the Nation address in Parliament. Mandela ends his address with the words, “Let us all get down to work”.
President Nelson Mandela announces his cabinet. It includes members of the African National Congress, National Party and Inkatha Freedom Party.
