Hard Cases Make Bad Law: Reflections on the South African Constitutional Court’s Jurisprudence on the Development of African Customary Law in South Africa
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25159/2522-6800/13717Keywords:
African customary law, transformative constitutionalism, development of African customary law, Constitutional Court, judicial avoidance, jurisprudence, hard cases, abdication of judicial responsibilityAbstract
Judicial interpretation and adjudication are complex and controversial processes that the judiciary has been grappling with for centuries. This persists in modern constitutional judicial processes, particularly when adjudicating ‘hard cases.’ African customary law cases are indeed hard or difficult cases. This is especially so when it comes to the development of African customary law. This article reflects on the jurisprudence of the Constitutional Court of South Africa regarding the development of African customary law. It is concluded that although there were some commendable strides in the development of African customary law in a few cases at its inception, the court has in subsequent judgments faltered. In these ‘hard cases’ the court has, in many instances, adopted a conservative, formalistic, literalistic approach, often using technicalities to either avoid the development of African customary law or simply abdicate its judicial responsibility. This flies in the face of the project of transformative constitutionalism and produces bad law when it comes to the court’s jurisprudence on the development of customary law.
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Cases
Alexkor Ltd v Richtersveld Community 2003 (12) BCLR 1301 (CC).
Shilubana and Others v Nwamitwa 2008 (9) BCLR 914 (CC).
Gumede v President of Republic of South Africa and Others 2009 (3) BCLR 243 (CC).
Mabuza v Mbatha 2003 (7) BCLR 43 (C).
Bhe and Others v Khayelitsha Magistrate and Others (2005 (1) BCLR 1 (CC).
Mayelane v Ngwenyama and Another 2013 (8) BCLR 918 (CC).
In re Certification of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa 1996 1996 (10) BCLR 1253 (CC).
Tongoane v National Minister for Agriculture and Land Affairs 2010 6 SA 214 (CC).
Bapedi Marota Mamone v Commission on Traditional Leadership Disputes and Claims and Others 2015 (3) BCLR 268 (CC).
Tshivhulana Royal Family v Netshivhulana [2016] ZACC 47; 2017 (6) BCLR 800 (CC).
Ramuhovhi and Others v President of the Republic of South Africa and Others 2018 (2) BCLR 217 (CC).
Mkhize No v Premier of the Province of Kwazulu-Natal and Others 2019 (3) BCLR 360 (CC)
Sigcau and Another v Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs and Others 2018 (12) BCLR 1525 (CC).
Mphephu-Ramabulana & Another v Mphephu & Others 2022 (1) BCLR 20 (CC).
Langa v Premier, Limpopo & Others [2022 (3) BCLR 367 (CC).
South African National Defence Union v Minister of Defence 1999 (4) SA 469 (CC)
Investigating Directorate: SEO v Hyundai Motor Distributors: in re Hyundai Motor Distributors v Smit 2001 1 SA 545 (CC).
Legislation
The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996.
Recognition of Customary Marriages Act 120 of 1998.
Communal Land Rights Act 11 of 2004.
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Accepted 2023-07-04
Published 2023-07-24
