HSF Briefs

With the 2014 General elections behind us, it is not too soon to start focusing on Local elections. This brief unpacks the components of South Africa's local elections.

This special Brief is a report back on the Competition Commission's Market Inquiry into the Private Healthcare Sector conference.

This Brief examines the South African environment in which entrepreneurship is initiated.

With the release of the Public Protector’s Nkandla Report, questions will arise concerning a possible ‘motion of impeachment’. It is important that Parliament clarifies how ‘motions of no confidence’ should work in light of the Constitutional Court’s Mazibuko ruling.

This is the first in a series of Briefs dealing with elections in South Africa. This Brief unpacks some of the main components of the South African General Elections.

The latest ruling by the African Commission of Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR) -that no individual can access the SADC Tribunal as a means of recourse in a dispute with a member state may well be the death blow for that institution. This Brief explains why this is the case.

In December 2013, the HSF received favourable judgement in the case of Helen Suzman Foundation v President of the Republic of South Africa and Others. The case involved the HSF’s on-going engagement with the establishment of independent policing and prosecutorial bodies that are sufficiently protected from political interference. The full bench of the Western Cape High Court found certain sections of the SAPS Amendment Act 2012 (the “Amendment Act”) to be unconstitutional to the extent that they undermine the structural and operational independence of the Directorate of Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI – also known as "the Hawks"). The HSF maintains that independent anti-corruption units are a vital part of the institutional State apparatus in South Africa and welcomes the unanimous judgement of the High Court.

The first 2014 Roundtable on Equity and Redress took place on February 6th. The event was chaired by the director of the Helen Suzman Foundation, Francis Antonie, and featured Lindiwe Mazibuko, Songezo Zibi and Eusebius McKaiser. This brief summarises some of the main themes of the evening.