CARMEL RICKARD: Vagrancy laws — rewrite the statutes
An African court opinion on vagrancy laws highlights how colonial perceptions of indigence remain in force in law — including in SA
14 January 2021 - 05:00
Several African countries cling to the corrupting brutality of colonial legislation. To my disappointment, not even SA — with its widely admired constitution — can be regarded as fully exempt.
I’ve been rereading an advisory opinion delivered a month ago by the African Court on Human & Peoples’ Rights. It examines whether vagrancy laws in AU countries infringe the human rights norms of the African Charter on Human & Peoples’ Rights and other instruments that these countries signed up to when they joined the 55-member organisation...
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