African Customary Law in South Africa

Book excerpt: African Customary Law in South Africa: Post-Apartheid and Living Law Perspectives provides a clear introduction to indigenous law in South Africa. The text provides a structure for understanding the nature and overarching system of customary law, illustrating its distinctness in relation to other areas of law, and exploring the dynamic precepts and values of living customary law. The text suggests an approach which supports harmonisation of customary law precepts and values with the common law and Western constitutional jurisprudence, and offers an authentic, culturally sensitive framework within which contentious issues might be resolved. The text is pedagogically designed to assist learning and the development of academic skills, encouraging readers to develop an approach of independent enquiry and analysis. This text is suited as core course material for students who are studying African Customary Law, Indigenous Law, or Legal Diversity as a module of the LLB degree. It also serves as a useful first reference for scholars who are interested in this field of law, legal practitioners, magistrates and judges. The following teaching resources complement the text, and are available to lecturers, to support teaching and learning: PowerPoint slide presentation Application questions