Constitutional Court Judge candidate, Advocate Alan Dodson, says his appointment to the court will advance a transformational agenda.
Dodson is the first of six candidates being interviewed to fill the two vacant positions at the Constitutional Court.
The questions on Dodson’s transformation agenda were asked by Economic Freedom Fighters Leader, Julius Malema.
Malema: “Do you think your appointment to the constitutional court advances any transformational agenda?”
Adv Dodson: “Yes, I do…and the reason I say that is that I have always accepted and adopted the transformational ethos of the constitution. And if you have a judge who accepts and adopts the ethos of a transformational approach to constitutionalism, it’s going to be reflected in the judgments they hand down.”
Expropriation Bill
Meanwhile, Advocate Dodson says he believes that the current provisions proposed in the Expropriation Bill would pass constitutional muster under the existing provision in Section 25 of the Constitution.
Commissioner China Dodovu wanted Dodson to give his view on the constitutionality of expropriation of Land without compensation.
This as the debate on whether a constitutional amendment to Section 25 was necessary or not, to allow expropriation without compensation.
In responding to Dodovu, Dodson said: “The practical answer to your question is that the expropriation is still there. Yes, the constitutional amendment to Section 25 has fallen away, but the Expropriation Bill is still there. It’s got I think a non-complete list of five different circumstances in which there can be expropriation without compensation. And the first of those about land being held on a speculative basis might come under debate but, they look ok to me. The provisions in the bill look as if they would stand scrutiny under the existing provisions of Section 25.”
Interview proceedings in the video below:
