Keyword: Social Justice

Can South Africa's Courts Help the Fight for Social Justice?

Picture: Penn State/flickr Steven Friedman - The more the courts do to fix poverty and inequality directly, the more likely is it that people will remain poor and unequal. For some time, an important debate has been raging between legal academics who want our courts to help the fight for social justice. It has been confined to law journals and has hardly registered in the public debate. This is a pity, since it addresses a crucial question: how can the courts help to combat poverty and inequality? The constitutional court has...

The Tragedy of Helen Zille

Picture: Democratic Alliance Jane Duncan - In a few weeks time, South Africans will go to the polls to vote in the local government elections. It is almost a foregone conclusion that the Democratic Alliance (DA) will increase its support during these elections. The DA under the leadership of Helen Zille is a political phenomenon. It is winning more hearts and minds, including in working class communities that had previously shunned the party. Many people are desperate for an electoral alternative to the ANC. But as tempting as it may...