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Minister of Justice for All Nearly Twenty Years Into South Africa’S Democracy, Our Justice System Has Outgrown Its International Peers

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Minister of Justice for All Nearly Twenty Years Into South Africa’S Democracy, Our Justice System Has Outgrown Its International Peers EDITION 342 OCTOBER 2013 WWW.LEADERSHIPONLINE.CO.ZA leadership magazine SA'S #1 AWARD WINNING BUSINESS MAGAZINE INTERVIEWSINTERVIEWS •• INSIGHTSINSIGHTS •• INTELLIGENCEINTELLIGENCE interview s ● insight s ● intelligence Sol Kerzner King of hospitality EDITION 342 OCTOBER 2013 Mo Ibrahim Giving back to his roots Tony Ehrenreich Fighting for our trade unions Jeff Radebe Transforming the judicial system ISBNISBN 1-00000-000-1 0251-9988 00342 GREG SOLOMON • REDI THLABI • ROBERT VENTER • NONKULULEKO GOBODO 99 781000770251000009998807 JEFFREY RADEBE JEFFREY RADEBE Minister of Justice for all Nearly twenty years into South Africa’s democracy, our justice system has outgrown its international peers e should not be judged more Minister of Transport, and as well as acting KwaMashu in Natal. As a high school science harshly because of our skin Health Minister. student in Durban, he actually wanted to W colour. We should not be paid Radebe achieved inspiring milestones in all of become a medical doctor. In his last year of any less because of our gender, and his leadership roles and has remained unwaver- Matric his mathematics teacher fell pregnant we shouldn’t be treated with violence ing in his quest to make a difference in South and the school had no one else to teach them. just because we are different. Africa. In public works he initiated the transfor- “Students from the University of Natal Medical mation of the procurement system. “We pioneered School came to our school over weekends to teach Inherently, humans have a desire for equality the black contractor development programme us mathematics. During this time, they also intro- and fairness. Thus, when any crime or abuse where, for the first time in the history of South duced us to the Black Consciousness Movement is committed, justice is sought — both for the Africa, we gave opportunities to black contractors with the late Steve Biko. And that’s how my whole offender and the victim. to be involved in big government contracts.” life changed,” Radebe told Leadership magazine. The assurance of justice is usually a pre- requisite for a thriving public society, and for establishing and maintaining a stable politi- cal order. For South Africa’s leaders to have “ The Constitution is our guiding legitimacy among constituents, satisfactory ways must be found to ensure laws are just, light and without appropriate and administered honourably throughout the entire country. legislation, we will not be South Africa’s Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Jeffrey Radebe, able to change this country” says he strives to do better and improve the lives of South Africans by making sure wher- ever he is deployed, he puts shoulder to the wheel to bring nearer the day when we “can In public enterprises, he turned Eskom from a As a result he decided to study law instead of say our people have a better life”. state department into a company involved in medicine in order to participate in the freedom Along with Trevor Manuel, Radebe is one multi-billion rand projects. “The same thing struggle of South Africa. He became a student Jeffrey Radebe is adamant of South Africa’s longest serving members of happened with Transnet and South African activist and joined the underground structures Parliament since the 1994 democratic elec- Airways,” he says. of the African National Congress (ANC) during that all South Africans must tions. He served as Minister of Public Works the student uprisings in 1976. from 1994 to 1999 under former president The early days “At the time we were fighting for freedom, have access to justice close Nelson Mandela, and under the leadership of Jeffrey Thamsanqa Radebe was born on contributing towards building a South Africa Thabo Mbeki as Minister of Public Enterprises, 18 February in 1953 in a township called with a non-racial, non-sexist, equal and to where they live 14 | www.leadershiponline.co.za JEFFREY RADEBE JEFFREY RADEBE Minister of Justice for all Nearly twenty years into South Africa’s democracy, our justice system has outgrown its international peers e should not be judged more Minister of Transport, and as well as acting KwaMashu in Natal. As a high school science harshly because of our skin Health Minister. student in Durban, he actually wanted to W colour. We should not be paid Radebe achieved inspiring milestones in all of become a medical doctor. In his last year of any less because of our gender, and his leadership roles and has remained unwaver- Matric his mathematics teacher fell pregnant we shouldn’t be treated with violence ing in his quest to make a difference in South and the school had no one else to teach them. just because we are different. Africa. In public works he initiated the transfor- “Students from the University of Natal Medical mation of the procurement system. “We pioneered School came to our school over weekends to teach Inherently, humans have a desire for equality the black contractor development programme us mathematics. During this time, they also intro- and fairness. Thus, when any crime or abuse where, for the first time in the history of South duced us to the Black Consciousness Movement is committed, justice is sought — both for the Africa, we gave opportunities to black contractors with the late Steve Biko. And that’s how my whole offender and the victim. to be involved in big government contracts.” life changed,” Radebe told Leadership magazine. The assurance of justice is usually a pre- requisite for a thriving public society, and for establishing and maintaining a stable politi- cal order. For South Africa’s leaders to have “ The Constitution is our guiding legitimacy among constituents, satisfactory ways must be found to ensure laws are just, light and without appropriate and administered honourably throughout the entire country. legislation, we will not be South Africa’s Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Jeffrey Radebe, able to change this country” says he strives to do better and improve the lives of South Africans by making sure wher- ever he is deployed, he puts shoulder to the wheel to bring nearer the day when we “can In public enterprises, he turned Eskom from a As a result he decided to study law instead of say our people have a better life”. state department into a company involved in medicine in order to participate in the freedom Along with Trevor Manuel, Radebe is one multi-billion rand projects. “The same thing struggle of South Africa. He became a student Jeffrey Radebe is adamant of South Africa’s longest serving members of happened with Transnet and South African activist and joined the underground structures Parliament since the 1994 democratic elec- Airways,” he says. of the African National Congress (ANC) during that all South Africans must tions. He served as Minister of Public Works the student uprisings in 1976. from 1994 to 1999 under former president The early days “At the time we were fighting for freedom, have access to justice close Nelson Mandela, and under the leadership of Jeffrey Thamsanqa Radebe was born on contributing towards building a South Africa Thabo Mbeki as Minister of Public Enterprises, 18 February in 1953 in a township called with a non-racial, non-sexist, equal and to where they live 14 | www.leadershiponline.co.za JEFFREY RADEBE JEFFREY RADEBE prosperous democratic society founded on before the Goldstone commission on the vio- revamping of Johannesburg OR Tambo Airport black, which truly reflects the major strides human rights. Now our focus is on enhancing lence in KwaZulu-Natal.” and Cape Town International Airport. Minister we have made in transforming the judiciary the quality of that life,” he smiles. By the time he left Robben Island, Radebe was Radebe was also actively involved in the Arrive regarding equality.” In 1976 he obtained a B. Juris degree from head of the ANC’s political department. Alive campaign. There’s still an acute under-representation of the University of Zululand and completed his Radebe served as a project co-ordinator for women on the bench, only 76 of the 239 judges legal articles in Durban. In 1977 he left the the National Association of Democratic Lawyers Justice prevails are women. country for Mozambique on instruction from (Nadel) between 1990 and 1991, and was even- When apartheid was demolished in 1994, the “Wherever it is possible we promote women the ANC. He worked as a radio journalist with tually elected Deputy Chairperson of the ANC, government inherited an unequal and dysfunc- judges. In my capacity as the Minister of Justice Radio Freedom in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Southern Natal Region in 1990. tional justice system. The Justice Department I always endeavour and strive to give women for two years and then worked for the ANC’s He served as Secretary of the SACP’s interim administers a wide variety of legislation and the opportunity to act in high courts, giving International Department in Zambia. Leadership Core between 1990 and 1991, then has constantly promoted new and amended them the experience for being competent judges He created underground ANC and South became the Chairperson of ANC’s Southern legislation to ensure that it is aligned to in the future.” African Communist Party (SACP) structures Natal Region from 1991 to 1994. the new constitutional dispensation. “The There are many challenges still to bridge, inside South Africa from Lesotho, giving politi- Radebe also served on the Natal Regional Constitution is our guiding light and without but with the collective leadership style of the cal direction to activists. During this period Dispute Resolution Committee. During the same appropriate legislation, we will not be able to Minister together with appropriate delegation, change this country.” the justice system can only move forward.
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