Un guide du système africain des droits de l’homme: Célébrant 30 ans depuis l’entrée en vigueur de la Charte Africaine des Droits de l’Homme et des Peuples 1986-2016 , livre ebook

edited by
Danie Brand and Christof Heyns
Faculty of Law University of Pretoria
2005Socio-economic rights in South Africa
Published by PULP (Pretoria University Law Press)
The Pretoria University Law Press (PULP) is a publisher based in Africa,
launched and managed by the Centre for Human Rights and the Faculty
of Law, University of Pretoria, South Africa.
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aspects of public international law especially in Africa.
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Cover illustration:
“Duduza”, by Vusi Khumalo, used with permission of the artist and
Murray Hofmeyer.
ISBN: 0-620-34086-X
© 2005
Copyright subsists in this work. It may be reproduced only with
permission of the editors.Abbreviated table of contents
Full table of contents v
Foreword xi
Contributors xiii
One / Introduction to socio-economic rights in the
South African Constitution 1
Danie Brand
Two / The right to education 57
Faranaaz Veriava and Fons Coomans
Three / The right to housing 85
Pierre de Vos
Four / Rights concerning health 107
Charles Ngwena and Rebecca Cook
Five / The right to food 153
Danie Brand
Six / The right to water 191
Anton Kok and Malcolm Langford
Seven / The right to social security and assistance 209
Linda Jansen van Rensburg and Lucie Lamarche
Eight / Environmental rights 249
Loretta A Feris and Dire Tladi
Table of cases 267
Table of statutes 274
Table of international instruments 283
Other international documents 288
Subject index 292
Bibliography 298
iiiFull table of contents
Foreword xi
Contributors xiii
One / Introduction to socio-economic rights in
South Africa 1
1Introduction 1
2 Textual basis: The rights and related provisions 3
2.1 The rights 3
2.2 The interpretation of socio-economic rights 6
2.2.1 Section 39(1) – The role of international and
foreign law 6
2.2.2 Section 7(2) – Duties 9
3 Processes of translation 12
3.1 Translation through legislation 12
3.2 Trough executive and administrative
action 16
3.3 Translation through adjudication 17
3.3.1 Modes of adjudication: Sections 8 and 39(2) 18
3.3.2 Constraint in the adjudication of
socio-economic rights claims 20
4 Results of translation: Concrete legal duties and
entitlements 30
4.1 The duty to respect socio-economic rights 30
4.1.1 Refraining from interfering with the existing
exercise of socio-economic rights 30
4.1.2 Mitigating the impact of interferences in the
exercise of socio-economic rights 33
4.1.3 Refraining from impairing access to
socio-economic rights 36
4.2 The duty to protect socio-economic rights 37
4.2.1 Legislative and executive measures 37
4.2.2 The judiciary 38
4.3 The duty to fulfil socio-economic rights 42
4.3.1 Background 42
4.3.2 Reasonableness review 43
4.3.3 Remedies 54
vTwo / The right to education 57
1Introduction 57
2 International law 58
3 South African law 59
3.1 The right to basic education 61
3.1.1 Availability 66
3.1.2 Accessibility 67
3.1.3 Acceptability 71
3.1.4 Adaptability 73
3.2 The right to further and higher education 74
3.3 The right to instruction in the official language of
one’s choice 77
3.4 The right to establish private educational
institutions 79
4 Other provisions in the Bill of Rights 81
4.1 The principle of equality and equal access 81
4.2 Freedom of choice 81
5Conclusion 82
Three / The right to housing 85
1Introduction 85
2 Interpreting the right to housing 87
2.1 Rights must be interpreted contextually 88
2.2 The role of international law in interpreting the
right to housing 89
3 International and South African law 92
3.1Introduction 92
3.2 Negative obligations on the state and other
role-players to respect the right to housing 92
3.2.1 General principles 92
3.2.2 Evictions and South African law 93
3.2.3 Evictions and international law 96
3.3 Positive obligations 98
3.3.1 Reasonable legislative and other measures 99
3.3.2 Progressive realisation of the right 99
3.3.3 Resource constraints 100
3.4 Minimum core obligations 101
3.5 International law and the concept of ‘adequate’
housing 102
3.5.1 Legal security of tenure 102
3.5.2 Availability of services, materials and
infrastructure 102
3.5.3 Affordable housing 103
3.5.4 Habitable housing 103
3.5.5 Accessible housing 103
vi3.5.6 Location 103
3.5.7 Culturally adequate housing 103
4 Housing-related protection of vulnerable groups 104
4.1 Children’s right to shelter 104
4.2 Prisoners’ rights to adequate accommodation 105
5Conclusion 106
Four / Rights concerning health 107
1Introduction 107
2 International law 108
3 State obligations in international law 111
3.1 The Universal Declaration of Human Rights 111
3.2 The International Covenant on Economic, Social
and Cultural Rights 112
3.3 Interpreting the right to health under human rights
treaties other than CESCR 120
3.4 Ensuring equality in fact 121
3.5 Possible limitations on rights 122
3.6 Monitoring compliance 124
4 South African law 125
4.1Introduction 125
4.2 A legacy of gross inequality 127
4.3 Transformation through section 27 of the
Constitution 131
4.4 Other reforms that impact on the right of access
to health care services 143
4.5 Impeding factors 149
5Conclusion 150
Five / The right to food 153
1Introduction 153
2 International law 154
2.1Sources 154
2.2Content 157
2.2.1 The content of the right to food:
Availability, accessibility, adequacy 157
2.2.2 Duties 159
3 South African law 161
3.1Con61
3.2 Legal duties 163
3.2.1 The duty to respect the right to food 165
3.2.2 The duty to protect the right to food 170
3.2.3 The duty to promote and fulfil the right
to food 178
4Conclusion 189
viiSix / The right to water 191
1Introduction 191
2 International, regional and comparable
national law 192
2.1 International law 192
2.2 Regional law 195
2.3 Comparable national law 197
3 South African law 197
3.1 Recognition of the right in section 27 197
3.1.1 ‘Sufficient’ 197
3.1.2 ‘Access’ 200
3.1.3 Obligations of the state 202
3.2 Interrelationship with other rights 206
3.3 General guidelines 207
4 Basic sanitation 208
5 Conclusion 208
Seven / The right to social security and
assistance 209
1Introduction 209
2 Social security, social assistance and social
protection 209
3 International law 213
3.1 United Nations binding instruments 213
3.1.1 The International Covenant on Economic,
Social and Cultural Rights 213
3.1.2 Convention on the Rights of the Child 217
3.1.3 Cthe Elimination of All Forms
of Discrimination Against Women 221
3.1.4 Convention on All Forms
of Racial Discrimination 222
3.1.5 Treaties on the protection of refugees and
stateless persons 223
3.2 International Labour Organisation instruments 225
3.3 United Nations non-binding instruments 229
4 Regional law 231
4.1 The African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights 231
4.2 The African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of
the Child 232
5 South African law 233
5.1Introduction 233
5.2 The constitutional scope of the right to social
security 234
5.2.1 The wording of section 27(1)(c) 234
5.2.2 Underpinning values and aims of social
viiisecurity rights 235
5.2.3 The duty to respect, protect, promote
and fulfil 238
6Conclusion 247
Eight / Environmental rights 249
1Introduction 249
2 Conceptual debates on human rights and the
environment 250
3 International law 255
4 Regional systems 256
5 South African law 257
6Conclusion 264
Table of cases 267
Table of statutes 274
Table of international instruments 283
Other international documents 288
Subject index 292
Bibliography 298
ix