SA judiciary deserves standing ovation

Its much-needed oversight role is being neglected, writes Patrick Mphuthi from Sandton.

One wonders where we would be sans our constitution, chapter nine institutions and our overutilised judiciary. Our judiciary, although still in need of transformation as it still harbours judges who upheld – and voted for – apartheid and its unjust, draconian laws, deserves a standing ovation.

It seems the only thread by which our near-collapsing democracy is still hanging.

Clearly, our beloved country’s democracy is disengaging and cracks are widening, especially in the wake of events that led to the finance minister and his deputy being sacked under questionable circumstances, causing an uproar, even among ruling party loyalists, and leading to the downgrade to junk status.

Our country is literally mostly run by chapter nine institutions and the judiciary, which has prevented looting – well, to some extent – by the incumbent government, which is rotten to the core.

Its leader lacks insight and is mired in scandal after scandal.

We cannot, in the long run, afford to run a country through these institutions and the judiciary, which stretches, cripples and weakens their much-needed oversight role – to uphold, promote and protect the constitution.

We have a patriotic duty to vote in selfless, altruistic leaders – people in the mould of Ahmed Kathrada, Robert Sobukwe, Steve Biko, Joe Slovo and Thuli Madonsela.

We need out-of-the-box approaches to our unique challenges.