LAWSON NAIDOO – From Subject to Citizen: Let the People Govern

To the extent that poverty, inequality and unemployment are rampant and the gap between the rich and poor has widened, it is clear that the constitution’s vision of an equitable society, characterised by human dignity, fairness and justice, has not been realised. Transformation is the cardinal mandate of our Constitution. Central to it is the realisation of an inclusive economy through restorative justice that enables redress of the systematic race and gender based inequalities of the past. Our Constitution envisages a participatory democracy in which citizens play an active role in the reconceptualization, reconstruction and development of their country. This will require liberating South Africa’s people from being ‘subjects’ of state rule, dependent on the government largesse for their development, to becoming active ‘citizens’ and partners in governance. This lecture will draw upon the Report published by CASAC in May entitled: “From Subject to Citizen: Let the People Govern”. Lawson Naidoo is the Executive Secretary of the Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution (CASAC), an NGO that promotes the notion of progressive constitutionalism.