Preface

The books published in the series Stellenbosch Handbooks in African Constitutional Law have emerged from a set of seminars known as the Stellenbosch Annual Seminar on Constitutionalism in Africa (SASCA) organized by the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS) and the Institute for International and Comparative Law in Africa (ICLA) of the University of Pretoria. The first of these seminars took place at the Wallenberg Research Centre of STIAS in Stellenbosch from 4‒6 September 2013. For this first seminar, a carefully selected group of outstanding African and some non-African constitutional law scholars and practitioners were invited. During the discussions, plans were made for future seminars and the need to publish the papers presented was agreed upon. By the time the second seminar took place, from 17‒19 September 2014, contact had already been made with four eminent publishers including Oxford University Press (OUP), to discuss the possibility of their publishing these papers in a new series devoted to Africa. All four accepted but the participants decided to publish the papers with OUP.

We thank OUP, for agreeing to launch this series, and for the support and assistance they have provided. Special thanks go to Mr Alex Flach at OUP who took an early interest in the project and has provided invaluable ongoing support. This idea would never have been brought to fruition without the financial support provided by STIAS and ICLA. We want to particularly thank the present Director of STIAS, Professor Hendrik Geyer, his predecessor and founding Director of STIAS, Professor Bernard Lategan, as well as the two Co-Directors of ICLA, Professors Christof Heyns and Erika de Wet, who have at all times been the solid rock on which this project is moving forward. Finally, thanks are also due to all the scholars who have contributed to the project, especially those who took part in the SASCA 2013 seminar and those whose excellent contributions to the 2014 event are featured in this maiden volume. We hope that subsequent volumes will build on this foundation, including and reflecting all the diverse constitutional traditions on the continent and contributing to constitutional discussion within Africa, and with the world.(p. x)