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
Cosatu, Squires and the SCA
The five judges of the Supreme Court of Appeal must feel rather embarrased this morning after Judge Hilary Squires informed us all that he never said that there was a generally corrupt relationship between Schabir Shaik and Jacob Zuma. But they would not be the first judges to make technical mistakes in a judgment and will definitely not be the last.
It is therefore absurd for Cosatu to call for the impeachment of the five judges involved. Nothing much turns on the use of this phrase and for the SCA judges to have used it, is at most a personal embarrasment for them.
Cosatu’s call is highly irresponsible. Because of the perceived short term political gain, they are castinga spersions on five judges of the highest court in non-constitutional matters. It is inevitable that their silly call will be beleived by some – especially Jacob Zuma supporters and this will undermine the legitimacy of the judiciary.
IT seems to suggest that Cosatu will do anything – even destroying the constitutional system – in order to get Zuma elected president. Once a principles and progressive organisation, they are becoming handmaidens of corruption.
