The constitutional imperative and harmonisation in a multicultural society : a South African perspective on the development of indigenous law

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dc.contributor.author Church, Jacqueline
dc.contributor.author Church, Joan
dc.date.accessioned 2009-04-29T12:23:24Z
dc.date.available 2009-04-29T12:23:24Z
dc.date.issued 2008
dc.description.abstract It is trite that the South African legal system is classified as "mixed". However, until recently, the notion of this "mix" has been Eurocentric, writers comparing the system to a "three-tiered cake" with Roman, Dutch and English law being its layers. This has been so despite the fact that indigenous or African customary law has played and still plays an intrinsic role in the lives of most South Africans and that, for more than two centuries and, for whatever reason, its application was sanctioned by colonial and national governments. The main reason for its non-recognition as part of the South African mixed legal system is that in the colonial and apartheid climate, although indigenous law was recognised, it was recognised only as a special and personal law that operated outside of, but only as determined by, the general law. In the past its legal history, both external and internal, was dealt with in a cursory fashion in South African legal literature. This has changed and it has been acknowledged as part of the South African legal system and referred to as the third of "three graces of South African law". en_US
dc.identifier.citation Church, J & Church, J 2008, 'The constitutional imperative and harmonisation in a multicultural society : a South African perspective on the development of indigenous law', Fundamina : a Journal of Legal History, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 1-13. [http://www.unisa.ac.za/default.asp?Cmd=ViewContent&ContentID=20119] en_US
dc.identifier.issn 1021-545X
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/2263/9799
dc.language.iso en en_US
dc.publisher Southern African Society of Legal Historians en_US
dc.rights Southern African Society of Legal Historians en_US
dc.subject Constitutional imperative en_US
dc.subject Indigenous law en_US
dc.subject.lcsh Customary law -- South Africa en_US
dc.title The constitutional imperative and harmonisation in a multicultural society : a South African perspective on the development of indigenous law en_US
dc.type Article en_US


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