Nice constitution, shame about the millions who remain excluded
'Why is the country failing to translate these constitutional rights into reality?'
South Africa’s constitution is celebrated globally for its visionary Bill of Rights. It’s among a handful of countries which integrate economic, social and cultural rights alongside traditional civil and political rights as legally enforceable rights. Its citizens are guaranteed the rights to vote, freedom of expression and a fair trial. They can also approach the courts when they believe that the government has failed to take reasonable steps to fulfil their rights to housing, health care, food, water and social security. In this way the constitution recognises that all human rights are interrelated. Without material security and the means to a dignified life, many of the civil and political freedoms in the Bill of Rights will ring hollow. Yet South Africa has, in many respects, failed to achieve a more socially just society. Millions of predominantly black South Africans are still excluded from the socio-economic benefits of democracy. It’s thus understandable that many – particul...
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