Constitutional Court's new website
Zibonele Ntuli
17 February 2005
The Constitutional Court of South Africa has launched a new website and virtual library - www.constitutionalcourt.org.za - catering to users at all levels, from primary school children to researchers in constitutional, public, international and human rights law.
"The launch of the Court's website is the culmination of years of work by our library team", Website committee chairperson Justice Kate O'Regan said at Wednesday's launch in Johannesburg.
"It is hoped that the website will nourish the development of our constitutional democracy in many ways", O'Regan said.
"It should be a portal which offers something to everyone interested in our Constitution, whether a primary school learner, an academic researcher, lawyer, judge or member of Parliament."
The site, which also caters for the visually impaired, consists of a full text database of all the cases handled since the
court's first hearing in 1995.
Documents available for viewing, printing or downloading include judgments, summaries of judgments highlighting the main question of law decided in each case, heads of arguments and pleadings.
The court's library catalogue is now also available online, providing visitors with access to over 50 000 volumes in the fields of constitutional, public, international and human rights law.
For the past 10 years, the law faculty of the University of the Witwatersrand was the custodian of the court's website.
O'Regan said she she hoped the international legal fraternity and the legal commercial sector would also use the new site, which is funded by the Andrew W Mellon Foundation.
Wednesday's launch was attended by retiring Chief Justice Arthur Chaskalson, human rights lawyer George Bizoz, legal scholars and other members of the judiciary.
Source: BuaNews
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