Laws empty without firm judiciary, says judge

Judges should be independent by resisting anyone who infringes on their powers, a South African judge has said.
Justice Johann van der Westhuizen also said judges should not fear adjudicating cases that are seen to be political and that the constitution will be full of empty promises if the courts cannot enforce its provisions.

“The constitution will be full of empty promises if the court cannot enforce provision in the constitution. The Court must not fear to adjudicate cases that have political implications,” he said.

The judge made the remarks on Wednesday during the 2nd National Conference on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights at Makerere University. Read more