Search

The right to health is enshrined in the South African Constitution as well as a range of international and regional human rights treaties which South Africa accepts. Yet empirical data reveals some of the challenges faced by South African youth--childhood diseases, HIV/AIDS and such like. There are evidently challenges realising the right to health in practice. Nevertheless, South African courts have led the international field in recognising the justiciability of economic and social rights such as the right to health. Having reviewed the applicable laws and jurisprudence, the paper will conclude that a more holistic human rights-based approach offers perhaps the best way forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the increasing influence of non-state actors in international affairs, soft power analysis in Africa and globally remains state-centric. By extension, assessment of individuals' soft power is undeveloped. This article examines the extent to which, if at all, Olusegun Obasanjo and Thabo Mbeki wielded soft power in the international arena both during and after their presidencies. It examines their idiosyncratic traits and varied ideas and policies, particularly with regard to pan-Africanism and African Renaissance that generate or undercut soft power. The article concludes that Obasanjo and Mbeki have successfully used their soft power and international clout to make significant contributions in Africa and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hope that South Africa would be a beacon of media freedom and plurality when apartheid ended with the election of President Nelson Mandela has, sadly, faded. This erosion of media freedom has mirrored the gradual loss of support for the governing party, the ANC. In these circumstances, it is hardly surprising that the media have come in for intense pressure as they fulfilled their obligation to act as the nation’s watchdog. As one commentator observed: ‘The ANC does not like a free and independently owned press with its watchdog capabilities’. Another commentator, the Economic Freedom Fighter’s Member of Parliament Fana Mokoena, asked: ‘The SABC is a microcosm of South Africa when all that is required for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing. How did this happen?’. This article discusses the decline of media freedom in South Africa and explores the causes for the decline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]