Justice: A Personal Account by Edwin Cameron

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Title: Justice: A Personal Account
Author: Edwin Cameron
Publisher: NB Publishers
ISBN: 9780624063063

 

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“The Constitution is our best shot at a just society.”

Edwin Cameron – a justice of the Constitutional Court of South Africa – addressed students and Stellenbosch University staff last Tuesday.

His address, delivered at Huis Marais Men’s Residence, formed part of the launch of his new book, Justice: A Personal Account.

The book is both a memoir and an analysis of South African law.

“I wanted to give academics, first-year law students, matric learners and ordinary people a chance to really understand the law and the power it has.”

Cameron started off the evening with his story of being a judge living with HIV/Aids. He remains the only public official in South Africa who has disclosed his HIV status to the public.

In chapter two of the book he relates the moment when he found out – through a phone call from his doctor – that he had contracted HIV. It recounts the struggle he then faced, being ashamed of the disease and that he had contracted it by having sexual intercourse.

Cameron admitted that his struggle began before he came into contact with HIV. He spoke of his time as a gay student at Stellenbosch University, where he was the primarius of Wilgenhof Men’s Residence and chair of the Student Representative Council (SRC).

He joked that the last time he was at Huis Marais he was trying to rally votes for the SRC and that it did not go well at all. Returning to the subject of shame he spoke about living with a secret while being a student.

“The secret I kept was that I was gay. I dated girls and later even got married.”

In chapter three of the book he tells of the life-changing court battle which encouraged him to disclose his HIV status publicly in the early 1990s. He remembers it as being liberating and empowering. It was a decision which was also brought on by the creation of antiretroviral drugs (ARVs), which rapidly improved his then poor quality of life.

“I’ve been on ARVs for 17 years now. The highest points of my life have taken place during this period.”

He then spoke about the importance of the Constitution and its being instrumental in shaping the diverse society that is South Africa.

“We’ve come a long way with the Constitution. It is what makes us (South Africans) special.”

Edwin Cameron's book was also launched at the Constitutional Court in Johannesburg. (Photo: Brett Steele)

He added that South Africa was able to get off lightly with apartheid. Compared with the mass bloodletting that many African countries have seen and continue to see, South Africa’s battle scars allowed us a second chance, through a well-crafted Constitution, he said.

“There are challenges and people are worried. I am worried and concerned about the rate of women abuse. I am worried that women are attacked in townships because they are lesbians. Everyone is concerned about the corruption in this country.

“We have a better constitution than anywhere in the world. It makes provision for everyone – black, white, coloured, Muslim, Christian, gay and straight.”

He encouraged young people at the event to get involved by becoming familiar with and exercising their Constitutional rights.

An employee of the university, Abigail McDougall, said that she found the talk to be very encouraging.

Edwin Cameron's book was also launched at the Constitutional Court in Johannesburg. (Photo: Brett Steele)

“It’s crazy how passionate and positive he can be about the law after serving for so many years. You expect that he might be a bit hardened or desensitised, but he is incredibly optimistic.”

Law student Philip Swanepoel speaks of the honour of being able to come into contact with someone whom one holds in such high regard.

“It’s hard to explain. We read about guys like him and the judgments they make which have a huge impact on our lives.”

Justice: A Personal Account is Cameron’s second book. His first book, Witness to Aids, was published in 2005 and has since been published in the United Kingdom, the USA, Germany and recently in China.


This contribution was produced as part of a collaboration between LitNet and the University of Stellenbosch's Department of Journalism in 2013.

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