South Africa’s Constitution at Twenty-one

‘… in the new South Africa there is nobody, not even the president, who is above the law; that the rule of law generally, and in particular the independence of the judiciary, should be respected.’ – Nelson Mandela In late 1996, South Africa’s Constitution acquired the force of law. Its Bill of Rights enshrined a range of fundamental rights to which all South Africans are entitled. In a marked breach with the past, citizens’ rights would no longer depend upon the pigment of their skin or other id