ISSN: 1996-2207
Affiliations: University of Johannesburg
Source: Tydskrif vir die Suid-Afrikaanse Reg, Issue 3, 2019, p. 558 – 574
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ISSN: 1996-2207
Affiliations: University of Stellenbosch
Source: Tydskrif vir die Suid-Afrikaanse Reg, Issue 3, 2019, p. 546 – 557
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ISSN: 1996-2207
Affiliations: Universiteit van Johannesburg
Source: Tydskrif vir die Suid-Afrikaanse Reg, Issue 3, 2019, p. 527 – 546
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ISSN: 1996-2207
Affiliations: Navorsingsassistent Suid-Afrikaanse Leerstoel in Internasionale Reg, Universiteit van Johannesburg; Post-Doktorale Navorser, Suid-Afrikaanse Leerstoel in Internasionale Reg, Universiteit van Johannesburg
Source: Tydskrif vir die Suid-Afrikaanse Reg, Issue 3, 2019, p. 510 – 526
THE PRINCIPLE OF COMMAND RESPONSIBILITY AS INTERPRETED BY THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT IN THE BEMBA CASE On 21 March 2016, trial chamber III of the international criminal court unanimously convicted Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo, former vice-president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, of crimes against humanity and war crimes committed by troops under his command in the Central African Republic between October 2002 and March 2003. This decision was of particular importance as Bemba was not convicted of having committed the crimes himself, but was held responsible for failing to prevent, suppress or refer for prosecution, crimes committed by troops under his command. As such, this was the first judgment by the international criminal court in which article 28 of the Rome Statute and the concept of command responsibility was applied extensively. On 8 June 2018 however the appeals chamber reversed the judgment of the trial chamber and acquitted Bemba of all charges. The appeals chamber found, inter alia, that the trial chamber had erred in its finding that Bemba as a military commander had failed to take "all necessary and reasonable measures" to prevent and repress the commission of war crimes by his subordinates as contemplated in article 28(a)(ii) of the Rome Statute. The authors consider the interpretation of the pre-trail chamber, the trial chamber and the appeals chamber of the phrase "all necessary and reasonable measures" and what is required for a commander to meet this standard in order to escape command responsibility under article 28(a)(ii) of the Rome Statute. It further evaluates whether there are certain minimum duties that a commander has to meet in order to satisfy the threshold of taking "all necessary and reasonable measures" and whether Bemba met this threshold. Finally, it highlights the complexities in determining ex post facto whether a commander has taken all reasonable and necessary measures in order to avoid incurring command responsibility under article 28(a)(ii). An analysis of the application of this threshold in the Bemba case is important in light of the recent arrest of more commanders in the Central African Republic for war crimes and crimes against humanity, and the findings by trial chamber II of the international criminal court that there are reasonable grounds to believe that these commanders can be held responsible for the crimes committed by their subordinates on the basis of command responsibility.
ISSN: 1996-2207
Affiliations: Senior Lecturer in Private Law, Stellenbosch University; LLB Student, Stellenbosch University
Source: Tydskrif vir die Suid-Afrikaanse Reg, Issue 3, 2019, p. 484 – 503
DIE WYSIGINGSWET OP STAATSAANSPREEKLIKHEID — EVALUERING EN KRITIESE OPMERKINGS Staatsaanspreeklikheid vir skade voortspruitend uit mediese wanpraktyke in die openbare gesondheidsorgsektor het in die laaste dekade teen ‘n drastiese tempo toegeneem. Die hoeveelheid eise, asook die skadevergoeding wat betaal word aan suksesvolle litigante, het op aansienlike wyse vermeerder. As hierdie stand van sake aanhou voortbestaan, sal dit die staat se vermo\xc3\xab, en grondwetlike plig, om openbare gesondheidsdienste te lewer, ondermyn. Teen hierdie agtergrond is die Suid-Afrikaanse Regshervormingskommissie aangewys om hervormingsmoontlikhede te ondersoek. Gedagtig aan die finansi\xc3\xable druk waaronder die departement van gesondheid tans verkeer, het die kommissie, as tussentydse voorstel, die wetgewer aangemoedig om die Wet op Staatsaanspreeklikheid te wysig. Die wetgewer het gehoor gegee en ‘n wetsontwerp is in Mei 2018 ter tafel gel\xc3\xaa. Dit is hoofsaaklik daarop gemik om gestruktureerde skikkings moontlik te maak asook om dit vir die staat moontlik te maak om, in plaas daarvan om slagoffers finansieel te vergoed, openbare gesondheidsdienste te verskaf aan die slagoffer. Indien dit bekragtig sou word, sal dit verreikende gevolge inhou vir die publiek, diegene werksaam in die openbare gesondheidsorgsektor asook regpraktisyns. Verskeie belanghebbendes het gevolglik skriftelik kommentaar op die wetsontwerp ingedien. Hierdie artikel bevat ‘n kritiese evaluering van verskeie kwessies wat die moontlike statut\xc3\xaare hervorming vergesel en deur die voorleggings uitgelig word. Dit sluit onder meer die volgende onderwerpe in: die algemene doel en nut van die voorgestelde wetsontwerp, die moontlike voor- en nadele van gestruktureerde skikkings, die moontlike effek wat die wetsontwerp op gebeurlikheidsfooie en die staat se toerekeningsvatbaarheid kan h\xc3\xaa asook grondwetlike aspekte van die wetsontwerp en ander moontlike alternatiewe wat die staat kan oorweeg in hierdie konteks. Verder word daar ook gekyk na die voorgestelde gebruik van die verbruikersprysindeks asook die gevolge wat die voorgestelde wysiging mag inhou vanuit ‘n inkomstebelastingperspektief. Daar word tot die gevolgtrekking gekom dat, alhoewel die wetsontwerp heelwat verfyn moet word, dit ‘n stap in die regte rigting is.
ISSN: 1996-2207
Affiliations: Visiting Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Johannesburg
Source: Tydskrif vir die Suid-Afrikaanse Reg, Issue 3, 2019, p. 467 – 483
INSTITUSIONELE ONTWERP IN VERDEELDE GEMEENSKAPPE: SUID-AFRIKA EN KOSOVO EN LESSE VIR GRONDWETLIKE ONTWIKKELING IN ONTLUIKENDE DEMOKRASIE\xc3\x8b — KOALISIE- EN SELFREGERING Die outeur fokus op koalisieregering en selfregering. In beide Kosovo en Suid-Afrika moes ‘n besluit geneem word of die etniese samestelling van die bevolking relevant is vir institusionele ontwerp en indien wel, wat daarmee gemaak moet word. In Suid-Afrika is daar ingevolge die interim grondwet slegs tydelik voorsiening gemaak vir ‘n verpligte koalisie in die regering van nasionale eenheid. Die model onder die 1996-grondwet is egter uitsluitlik op meerderheidsregering gebaseer. In Kosovo daarenteen, is etnisiteit ‘n bousteen van die grondwet met verpligte koalisieregering vir ‘n onbepaalde tyd. Albei die benaderings bevat risiko’s. Vir doeleindes van ‘n o\xc3\xabnskynlike waarborg van selfregering vir minderheidsgroeperings het Suid-Afrika etnisiteit indirek geakkommodeer by wyse van die afbakening van provinsies wat op ‘n streeksbasis breedweg erkenning aan verskillende taalgemeenskappe verleen hoewel meerderheidsbewind steeds geld. Daar is voorsiening in die grondwet vir moontlike kultuurrade vir gemeenskappe, maar geen wetgewing is ooit aanvaar om inhoud aan daardie beginsel te gee nie. In Kosovo het ‘n minderheidsgemeenskap soos die Serwi\xc3\xabrs uitgebreide magte in munisipale gebiede waar hulle ‘n meerderheid is. Daar is ook voorsiening gemaak dat in alle plaaslike regerings waar 10% of meer van die bevolking van ‘n minderheidsgroep is, dat daardie gemeenskap gewaarborgde verteenwoordiging verkry. Minderheidsgemeenskappe is in Kosovo ook geregtig om op plaaslike vlak hul eie plek en straatname te beskerm, asook op staatsonderrig in die skole in hul huistaal. In Suid-Afrika geld die beginsel van meerderheidsbewind op plaaslike vlak hoewel diversiteit indirek deur territoriale oorwegings geakkommodeer word. Die gevolgtrekking word gemaak: (a) dat ‘n interim periode vir ‘n substantiewe tyd moet geld ten einde demokratiese tradisies en gebruike te help vestig; (b) dat belonings in die stelsel ingebou moet word ten einde kruissnydende lojaliteite te help ontwikkel; (c) dat koalisieregering belangrik is om te verseker dat minderhede nie permanent gemarginaliseer word nie; (d) dat territoriale en nie-territoriale selfregering essensieel is ten einde gemeenskappe in staat te stel om besluite te neem en selfbestuur toe te pas oor aangeleenthede wat vir hul identiteit belangrik is; en (e) dat daar geen formule is wat vooraf kan bepaal welke benadering van konsosiasie of integrasie suksesvol sal wees vir ‘n bepaalde staat nie, maar dat ‘n verpligte koalisie wel die basis kan bied vir latere ontwikkeling na ‘n integrasie-model.
ISSN: 1996-2207
Affiliations: Assistent-professor, Faculteit der Rechtsgeleerdheid, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Navorsingsgenoot Universiteit van Johannesburg; Seniordocent, Faculteit der Rechtsgeleerdheid, Universiteit van Johannesburg
Source: Tydskrif vir die Suid-Afrikaanse Reg, Issue 3, 2019, p. 450 – 466
STATUTORY INTERPRETATION IN SOUTH AFRICA AND THE NETHERLANDS: A MUTUAL LESSON? This article addresses and compares the development of statutory interpretation in South Africa and the Netherlands from the seventeenth century to today. The aim of the article is to explore what insights both systems can gain from each other after such a long time has passed since the inception of Roman-Dutch law in South Africa and after the judiciary in both countries developed and sophisticated their respective interpretation techniques. The first part of the article discusses the historical influence of Roman-Dutch law in South Africa, and provides an insight on the subsequent developments of statutory interpretation by the South African judiciary. Specifically, this part traces the development of methods of interpretation from Dutch inception, through British colonisation and ultimately to the adoption of a teleological model of interpretation following the advent of constitutionalism in South Africa. The second part of the article highlights some key developments in statutory interpretation in the Netherlands. It illustrates that the judiciary, and more specifically the court of cassation, has developed from acting as the "bouche de la loi" (from at least the early eighteen hundreds, when legislation commanded the courts to abstain from judging the values of a statute) to more extensive interpretation of statutes. Among the most spectacular developments is the acknowledgment of international human rights norms in the national legal order, especially since the number of such norms has increased enormously after the Second World War. Judges are now tasked with balancing these rights, interpreting them correctly, and construing national legal norms in the light of these norms. Such a task has become more difficult in an increasingly multicultural context, in which people and their interests can be at odds. The article finds that, although statutory interpretation developed differently in the Netherlands than in South Africa, there is reason for both countries to study the experience of their counterparts. For the Netherlands, it is argued that much may be gained from the South African approach and experience in interpreting legislation within a human-rights context. South African scholars may also gain much insight from the Dutch experience in navigating the difficult area between judicial law making and the duty of judges to interpret legislation that may bring about more legal certainty within the South African legal system.
ISSN: 2521-2583
Affiliations: Department of International Relations and Cooperation
Source: South African Yearbook of International Law, 2014, p. 293
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ISSN: 2521-2583
Affiliations: Department of International Relations and Cooperation
Source: South African Yearbook of International Law, 2014, p. 287 – 292
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ISSN: 2521-2583
Affiliations: Professor, Department of Public, Constitutional and International Law, UNISA
Source: South African Yearbook of International Law, 2014, p. 248 – 286
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