Abstract

In this case note, the author discusses the unreported high court case of Musanga  v Minister of Labour. The applicants were a group of asylum seekers who  challenged the constitutionality of long-standing statutory provisions and institutional  conduct that effectively excluded them from being able to claim benefits from the  Unemployment Insurance Fund (‘UIF’), despite the fact that they had contributed  to the UIF during their employment. The note analyses the arguments made by the  applicants to establish that their constitutional rights to equality, human dignity and  access to social security (as encapsulated in the Bill of Rights of the Constitution of  the Republic of South Africa, 1996) had been unjustifiably infringed. The note also  considers the counter-arguments by the respondents who opposed the application.  Having outlined and evaluated the parties’ respective arguments, the author summarises  the salient aspects of the court order which, importantly, confirmed (i) the constitutional  invalidity of the exclusionary provisions and conduct, and (ii) that asylum seekers are  entitled to claim benefits from the UIF. The note highlights the importance of the case  in realizing South Africa’s social-justice ambitions.