Renowned South African Freedom Fighter Albie Sachs to Discuss Value of Judicial Independence April 15

For Albie Sachs, fighting for the rights of all South Africans resulted in months of solitary prison confinement, forced exile in England, and even physical harm: after a car bomb attack, he lost his right arm and sight in one eye. But none of it deterred him, and he went on to play multiple pivotal roles in his country’s struggle for justice and equality.

On April 15 at 6 p.m., the renowned South African activist, advocate, writer, and former judge on the Constitutional Court of South Africa will give a talk at UChicago’s International House, drawing on his decades of experience as a defender of human rights and the rule of law. He will focus on the concept of judicial independence, highlighting cases where the South African Constitutional Court was asked to review actions by South African presidents, including cases where they ruled against Nelson Mandela.

“It’s a remarkable story about a country affirming the core values of its constitution,” Sachs says. “We all loved Mandela, of course, but when we thought he was failing to comply with the basic law the nation had agreed upon, it was extraordinarily important for us to say so.”

Sachs—a former Pozen Visiting Professor—will consider several of these cases, some of which he ruled on as a sitting judge. “I want to talk about the importance of judicial independence and also about how to protect it,” he says. “How do presidents respond when you tell them ‘no’? And what happens when the court is defied?” In one of the cases he will discuss, ex-President Jacob Zuma was sent to jail for refusing to obey a Constitutional Court subpoena.

Sachs was first arrested for his activism at the age of 17, when he led a group of anti-racist white activists who sat on benches designated for “non-whites.” He began practicing law at the age of 21, defending South Africans charged under the apartheid’s racial statutes and security laws.

In 1990, Sachs returned from exile to South Africa to participate in the preparations and negotiations for the democratic constitution that would replace the apartheid regime. In 1994, following the country’s first democratic elections, Nelson Mandela appointed him to the new Constitutional Court.

Since his term on the court ended in 2009, Sachs has continued to promote constitutionalism and the rule of law, starting a nonprofit dedicated to the subject and traveling the world to share experiences of restorative justice from South Africa to assist healing in other divided societies.

During his visit to Chicago, Sachs will also:

• Give an April 17 talk at the Law School, looking back on his life spent fighting for justice and asking whether the world is now a better or worse place than it was when he was born. He will be in conversation with Pozen Faculty Board member Anjli Parrin.
• Deliver an April 16 presentation about the relationship between art and justice at Elastic Arts, a space in the Avondale/Logan Square neighborhood. This presentation will involve a video tour of South Africa’s Constitutional Court, renowned for its architectural beauty and the collection of art on display there. It will also be complemented by a musical performance in which a group of veteran improvisers will explore the work of South African Johnny “Mbizo” Dyani, an energetic participant in the anti-apartheid struggle.

Learn more about Sachs at The Albie Collection, a new online repository of material related to his life, work, and philosophy.

• Register for Sachs’s April 15 talk at International House, “You Can’t Do That, Mr. President: How South Africa’s Highest Court Held President Mandela and His Successors to Account.” The talk starts at 6 p.m.
• Register for Sachs’s April 17 lunch talk at the Law School, which starts at 12:5 p.m.
• Read more about Sachs’s April 16 appearance (and the accompanying musical performance) at Elastic Arts, which starts at 7 p.m.