In 1789 France’s Ancien Regime, its monarchy and traditions, were swept away by the tide of the French Revolution – only for these laws and customs to reappear some years later. Struck by this, Alexis de Tocqueville remarked that it was as if a river had plunged underground and resurfaced a distance away, the river …
Tag: gender equality
Permanent link to this article: https://www.customcontested.co.za/river-runs-dry-gender-equality-south-africa/
Sep 23 2013
Mmusi ruling a watershed moment for gender and customary law in Botswana
On Sep 3rd, the Court of Appeal in Botswana decided that the home of Edith Mmusi’s parents belonged to her and her sisters. In doing so, Botswana’s highest court struck a blow to rigid versions of customary law and breathed new meaning into the Botswana constitution’s provisions to prevent unfair discrimination. Edith Mmusi’s story 80-year …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.customcontested.co.za/mmusi-ruling617/