Unlike many other countries in Africa, SA has a home-made Constitution under the rule of law which was negotiated painstakingly by the politicians and the people active in politics in SA during the period between 2 February 1990, when FW made his speech ending...

Dear Editor, A week ago, Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Geordin Hill-Lewis asked president Ramaphosa to reshuffle key DA members of the national cabinet. Over the weekend, the president was reported to have said that “ministers are appointees of the president… only...

Paul Hoffman Jun 19, 2026 Since the demise of the parliamentary sovereignty of the white component of SA and its replacement with constitutional democracy under the rule of law, there have been three two-term presidents in SA. Thabo Mbeki, who succeeded one-term...

Dear Editor, With the impeachment committee of the National Assembly safely in place with a chairman and, soon, a set of rules, it looks from a parliamentary perspective as though it is all systems go for the committee to do its work in regard to the strange goings on...

Dear Editor, The former (now impeached and pensionless) Public Protector, Adv Busisiwe Mkhwebane, has formed a Foundation bearing her name and has joined the MK party. Her foundation has reportedly written to the American Federal Bureau of Investigation and to the...

Dear Editor, In his latest communication to “My fellow South Africans” the president has issued an important invitation: “I call on all South Africans to come together once more and be part of crafting a new vision for South Africa that both speaks to our contemporary...

 Paul Hoffman Jun 3, 2026 The “conference of the Left” was held in Gauteng at the end of May. The SACP has produced a lengthy document that sets out to capture the essence of the discussions held. The document ends dramatically with a summary of the decisions of the...

There is a myth abroad in SA, a myth that the National Prosecuting Authority is an independent institution of state. The NPA is constitutionally tasked with the prosecution of crime. It is not independent. Its leadership and staff would like it to be independent, the...

 Paul Hoffman The Phala Phala debacle has generated a lot of loose talk about whether or not a conflict of interest is in evidence on the President’s own version of the goings on around his dollar-stuffed couch at his game farm near Bela Bela. The dollars found their...

 Paul Hoffman In post-colonial African states, the new or “liberation” constitutions tend to be torn up, thrown away or up-ended via radical amendment.These processes occur along a well-trodden road, after “liberation party” governments show a tendency to govern by...

Dear Editor, Back in 2022 a respected former Chief Justice, Sandile Ngcobo, chaired a panel tasked with ascertaining whether anything, worthy of the considered attention of a presidential removal from office committee of the National Assembly, was in evidence before...

 Paul Hoffman May 10, 2026 The relevant provisions of the Constitution that deal with removing the president from office are deceptively straightforward. These provisions are set out in Section 89 thus: “The National Assembly, by a resolution adopted with a supporting...

Dear Editor, The Constitutional Court has announced that at ten on Friday, its long awaited verdict will be pronounced in the spat between the EFF and parliament over the latter’s stance taken in its decision to kick the report to it by the Ngcobo Panel into the long...

The South African Constitution is very clear in its treatment of the rights of children. [A “child” means a person under the age of 18 years.] This age group covers most school-going citizens. A child’s best interests are of paramount importance in every matter...