60:, containing the Bill of Rights, states that everyone has the right to freedom of religion, belief and opinion. Section 9, the equality clause, prohibits unfair discrimination on various grounds including religion. Section 15 allows religious observances in state and state-aided institutions, provided they follow public authority rules, they are conducted on an equitable basis and attendance is free and voluntary, and also provides for the recognition of religious legal systems and marriages that are not inconsistent with the Constitution. Section 31 protects the right of persons belonging to a religious community to practise their religion together with other members of that community and form voluntary religious associations.
417:, democracy and freedom in South Africa. The group is concerned that, instead of advancing freedom of religion, the charter would advance religion and inhibit the religious freedom of those in minority religions and the non-religious. The group is concerned that the charter seeks to entrench religion in educational and state institutions using state powers and state funds. The group has drafted and proposed its own
336:
242:
409:
of the Free
Society Institute considers existing legislative protection of religious beliefs to be clear and adequate and expressed concern about the charter allowing discrimination against the non-religious and containing undue limitation on freedom of speech over and above the hate speech clause in
216:
Most of the provisions of the charter may appear uncontroversial, and yet as a sitting justice of the
Constitutional Court moments may present themselves when I may be duty-bound to proffer judicial opinion on the remit or impact of one or more of its provisions, if they were to be formally enacted,
71:
Section 234 of the
Constitution makes allowance for charters of rights consistent with the Constitution to be adopted by Parliament. Section 234 states "In order to deepen the culture of democracy established by the Constitution, Parliament may adopt Charters of Rights consistent with the provisions
229:
Where religious rights are at odds with other constitutional guarantees or a legitimate government purpose, the conflict must be weighed carefully, keeping in mind that in our constitutional democracy the constitution is supreme and there is no hierarchy of rights. All rank equally. We all have the
192:
Through our signature we hereby endorse the proposed South
African Charter of Religious Rights and Freedoms as submitted to the conference of 21 October 2010. We see it as an important development and necessity for South Africa and hope to see it form part of our Constitutional framework through
63:
Various other provisions of the
Constitution relate to religion and religious freedom. Sections 185 and 186 provide for a commission for the promotion and protection of the rights of cultural, religious and linguistic communities. In addition, human rights such as the right to human dignity, the
47:
and religious organisations and the daily freedoms, rights and responsibilities associated with this right. These include the right to gather to observe religious belief, freedom of expression regarding religion, the right of citizens to make choices according to their convictions, the right to
398:
Members of the South
African Pagan Council expressed concern that the charter would be used to enforce religious discrimination in society, for example by providing the unlimited right to refuse service to South African citizens on the grounds of religious conscience, and would result in
92:
Ideally in South Africa, all religious organisations and persons concerned with the study of religion would get together and draft a charter of religious rights and responsibilities ... it would be up to the participants themselves to define what they consider to be their fundamental
48:
change their faith, the right to be educated in their religion, the right to educate their children in accordance with their philosophical and religious convictions and the right to refuse to perform certain duties or assist in activities that violate their religious beliefs.
103:
The need to draft a charter that would make clear what freedom of religion entails for the people of South Africa, by the people of South Africa, was realised after conferences on the relationship between religion and the state and freedom of religion at the
179:
per the final document, as amended on 6 August 2009 and 1 October 2009, were: P Coertzen (Chairperson), I Benson, S Boshoff, J Creer, D Erekson, Rabbi Greens, A Knoetze, C Landman, W Langeveldt, E Malherbe, N Mndende, A Sedick and K Thompson.
28:
and civil organisations which is intended to define the religious freedoms, rights and responsibilities of South
African citizens. The aim of the drafters of the charter is for it to be approved by
227:
We have opted for a secular state which is enjoined to observe strict neutrality among religious tendencies. This duty indeed extends to the right not to believe or hold or observe any religion.
413:
According to the
Freedom from Religion South Africa action group, an association of freethinkers, atheists, sceptics and agnostics committed to a secular state, the charter would undermine
1074:
64:
right to freedom of expression and the right to freedom of association relate indirectly to the protection of religious freedom. The right to freedom of expression does not extend to
145:
and it was developed through suggestions and input from the wide community of leaders and groups among which it was circulated prior to its public endorsement on 21 October 2010.
72:
of the
Constitution". The Service Charter for Victims of Crime in South Africa was approved by Parliament in accordance with this constitutional provision on 1 December 2004.
122:
The first draft of the charter was unveiled at a gathering of religious groups on 14 February 2008. Among those present were representatives of
Christian denominations,
119:, religious leaders, statutory commissioners and international legal experts in consultation with all major religious, human rights and media groups in South Africa.
410:
the Constitution. Rossouw also expressed concern about vague wording open to interpretation in a document intended to provide clarity about constitutional rights.
217:
or if a justiciable dispute about its enactment should arise. I am thus honour-bound to keep an open mind on the constitutional appropriateness of its provisions.
252:
in 2011, 67 religious organisations, including numerous Christian denominations representing approximately 8–10 million South Africans, had signed the charter.
211:
Moseneke welcomed the initiative by civil society but did not voice a personal opinion about the charter or endorse it. In his keynote speech, Moseneke stated:
57:
1326:
Iain T. Benson, Religious Interfaith Work in Canada and South Africa with Particular Focus on the South African Charter of Religious Rights and Freedoms,
313:
245:. Signatories include representatives of religious groups and organisations, human rights organisations, legal and academic entities and media bodies.
688:"Constitution of South Africa: Chapter 9: Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities"
490:
895:
523:
221:
Every right guaranteed in the Bill of Rights may be limited by a law of general application. Thus the right to religious freedom is not absolute.
709:
661:
635:
609:
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85:
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406:
320:
43:
would be for individuals, groups and official organisations in South Africa. It expresses what freedom of religion means to those of
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268:
by Parliament. A steering committee convened by Prof Pieter Coertzen was also appointed to prepare a constitution for the council.
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29:
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International Center for Law and Religious Studies Symposium 2011: South Africa Presentation by Victor van Vuuren
149:
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430:
388:
123:
25:
1006:
337:
Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities
243:
Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities
1007:"South African Charter of Religious Rights and Freedoms Public, Endorsement Ceremony: Endorsement Formula"
921:
735:
662:"Constitution of South Africa: Bill of Rights: Section 31: Cultural, Linguistic and Religious Communities"
758:
583:
1028:
527:
636:"Constitution of South Africa: Bill of Rights: Section 15: Freedom of Religion, Belief & Opinion"
1210:
713:
665:
639:
460:"The Background and Contents of the Proposed South African Charter of Religious Rights and Freedoms"
138:
was appointed by those present at this gathering to complete the process of finalising the charter.
613:
223:
Its scope may be limited by other rights or by a law in pursuit of a legitimate government purpose.
40:
687:
365:
1029:"South African Charter of Religious Rights and Freedoms, Public Endorsement Ceremony: Programme"
1051:
810:
265:
241:
The charter has been endorsed by signatories from all major religions in South Africa and the
1327:
950:
292:
205:
44:
736:"Press Statement: Cabinet Approves the South African Service Charter for Victims of Crime"
169:
807:
Protecting human rights in a new South Africa (Contemporary South African Debates Series)
1308:
982:"South African Charter of Religious Rights and Freedoms, Feedback: Endorsement Ceremony"
262:
South African Council for the Protection and Promotion of Religious Rights and Freedoms
256:
South African Council for the Protection and Promotion of Religious Rights and Freedoms
250:
South African Council for the Protection and Promotion of Religious Rights and Freedoms
1338:
414:
400:
198:
134:
faith, the SA Tamil Federation and academic institutions and statutory bodies. The
56:
The right to freedom of religion is enshrined in the Constitution of South Africa.
264:
was established to oversee the process of the charter being formally enacted into
1127:
710:"Constitution of South Africa: Bill of Rights: Section 16: Freedom of expression"
802:
349:
115:
The charter was drafted over a period of several years by a group of academics,
81:
65:
1313:
1142:"Council for the Protection and Promotion of Religious Freedom makes impact"
153:
841:"South African Charter of Religious Rights and Freedoms, How it Came About"
39:
The SACRRF details what the legal and civil manifestations of the right to
780:
1187:
1164:
157:
116:
161:
201:
on 21 October 2010 in the presence of signatories and keynote speaker
1281:
1259:
165:
127:
610:"Constitution of South Africa: Bill of Rights: Section 9: Equality"
271:
The members of the council, some of whom previously served on the
131:
1052:"Expanding Constitutional "Dialogue": A Lesson from South Africa"
197:
The charter was first signed at a public endorsement ceremony in
896:"South African charter spells out specific religious freedoms"
524:"Constitution of South Africa: Section 234: Charter of Rights"
208:
and signatories continue to be added to the open document.
1328:
http://www.hts.org.za/index.php/HTS/article/view/1319/3713
781:"The Service Charter for Victims of Crime in South Africa"
98:
Albie Sachs, Protecting human rights in a new South Africa
1211:"South African Charter of Religious Rights and Freedoms"
491:"South African Charter of Religious Rights and Freedoms"
1309:
South African Charter of Religious Rights and Freedoms
834:
832:
830:
828:
826:
809:. Cape Town: Oxford University Press. pp. 46–47.
18:
South African Charter of Religious Rights and Freedoms
344:
Specialists appointed to the steering committee are:
326:
Moss Nthla (The Evangelical Alliance of South Africa)
951:"Proposed Charter of Religious Rights and Freedoms"
495:
IJRF: International Institute for Religious Freedom
304:
The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints
24:) is a charter of rights drawn up by South African
419:South African Charter of the Freedom from Religion
260:After the public endorsement of the charter, the
1234:"Staring into the abyss of 'special privileges'"
213:
190:
90:
188:The charter endorsement is worded as follows:
148:The charter has been made available in six of
945:
943:
68:based on various grounds including religion.
58:Chapter 2 of the Constitution of South Africa
8:
141:Amendments were made to the document by the
975:
973:
971:
894:Israelsen-Hartley, Sara (27 October 2010).
354:University of Notre Dame, Sydney, Australia
248:By the first annual general meeting of the
1075:"Deputy Chief Justice welcomes initiative"
556:de Villiers, Johannes (13 November 2010).
399:state-subsidized religious education in a
329:Reg Willis (Christian Lawyers Association)
314:Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa
551:
549:
547:
545:
453:
451:
1126:. The Sunday Independent. Archived from
484:
482:
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1319:
889:
887:
885:
577:
575:
447:
757:Govender, Sholain (28 November 2007).
518:
516:
1232:Rousseau, Jacques (5 February 2012).
1209:Rousseau, Jacques (8 November 2010).
1122:Moseneke, Dikgang (24 October 2010).
1073:du Preez, Melissa (21 October 2010).
558:"Handves opgestel vir godsdiensregte"
7:
980:Coertzen, Pieter (27 October 2010).
864:"NG Kerk werk aan handves oor regte"
839:Coertzen, Pieter (16 October 2009).
309:Marius Oosthuizen (Rhema Ministries)
86:Constitutional Court of South Africa
920:Jackson, Neels (13 February 2008).
582:Jackson, Neels (30 November 2010).
436:Freedom of religion in South Africa
387:The charter has been criticised by
312:Dr Mary-Anne Plaatjies van Huffel (
1097:"African cultures still neglected"
862:Jackson, Neels (4 November 2008).
759:"Giving power to victims of crime"
321:Anglican Church of Southern Africa
14:
1124:"The right to differ religiously"
738:. justice.gov.za. 2 December 2004
489:Benson, Iain T (22 August 2011).
332:K Padayachy (SA Tamil Federation)
150:South Africa's official languages
1186:Leff, Damon (14 November 2010).
193:section 234 of the Constitution.
1165:"Charter – Freedoms and Rights"
1103:. South Africa. 21 October 2010
1050:Benson, Iain T (October 2011).
32:in terms of section 234 of the
1163:Martin, Luke (15 April 2010).
421:in opposition to the charter.
1:
1188:"Charter of Religious Rights"
712:. info.gov.za. Archived from
664:. info.gov.za. Archived from
638:. info.gov.za. Archived from
612:. info.gov.za. Archived from
560:(in Afrikaans). rapport.co.za
526:. info.gov.za. Archived from
1355:Human rights in South Africa
1350:Constitution of South Africa
1144:. bucer.de. 22 November 2011
956:. fsi.org.za. 1 October 2009
393:non-religious South Africans
362:University of the Free State
297:African Traditional Religion
124:African independent churches
34:Constitution of South Africa
584:"Talle regte, talle gelowe"
358:Global Centre for Pluralism
110:post-apartheid South Africa
1371:
922:"Handves bekyk deur kerke"
376:University of Johannesburg
286:University of Stellenbosch
184:Endorsement of the charter
106:University of Stellenbosch
88:from 1994 to 2009, wrote:
1345:Religion in South Africa
431:Religion in South Africa
383:Criticism of the charter
374:Prof Erasmus Malherbe (
230:right to be different.
76:Drafting of the charter
280:Prof Pieter Coertzen (
273:Continuation Committee
239:
195:
177:Continuation Committee
143:Continuation Committee
136:Continuation Committee
101:
501:(1). iirf.eu: 125–134
282:Dutch Reformed Church
1190:. pagancouncil.co.za
1167:. pagancouncil.co.za
1031:. academic.sun.ac.za
1009:. academic.sun.ac.za
987:. academic.sun.ac.za
843:. academic.sun.ac.za
530:on 26 September 2009
389:Pagan South Africans
203:Deputy Chief Justice
716:on 17 November 2013
668:on 17 November 2013
642:on 17 November 2013
616:on 17 November 2013
458:Malherbe, Erasmus.
175:The members of the
41:freedom of religion
761:. southafrica.info
366:Miller Thomson LLP
152:, namely English,
117:religious scholars
1077:. jacarandafm.com
371:Victor Van Vuuren
266:South African law
84:, Justice of the
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1130:on 11 June 2014.
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293:Nokuzola Mndende
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206:Dikgang Moseneke
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45:religious belief
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1240:. South Africa
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1284:. sekuler.org
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1282:"Our Charter"
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1262:. sekuler.org
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1260:"Open Letter"
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690:. info.gov.za
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1213:. fsi.org.za
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900:Deseret News
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666:the original
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