SOUTH AFRICAN LAW REFORM COMMISSION 

* Establishment of the Commission

The South African Law Reform Commission was established by the South African Law Reform Commission Act 19 of 1973.

* The objects of the Commission

The objects of the Commission are set out as follows in section 4 of the Act: to do research with reference to all branches of the law of the Republic and to study and investigate all such branches in order to make recommendations for the development, improvement, modernisation or reform thereof, including -

• the repeal of obsolete or unnecessary provisions;

• the removal of anomalies;

• the bringing about of uniformity in the law in force in the various parts of the Republic;

• the consolidation or codification of any branch of the law; and

• steps aimed at making the common law more readily available.

In short, the Commission is an advisory body whose aim is the renewal and improvement of the law of South Africa on a continuous basis.

* Constitution of the Commission.

The members of the Commission are appointed by the President.

In terms of section 3(1)(a) of the Act the Commission is constituted as follows:

• A judge of the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court of Appeal or a High Court, as Chairperson.

• Not more than eight persons who appear to the President to be fit for appointment on account of the tenure of a judicial office or on account of experience as an advocate or as an attorney or as a professor of law at any university, or on account of any other qualification relating to the objects of the Commission.

The following persons have been appointed as members of the Commission for a period of five years with effect from 1 January 2002:

• Justice Y Mokgoro as Chairperson
• Judge M L Mailula as Vice-Chairperson
• Adv J J Gauntlett SC
• Prof C E Hoexter
• Judge C T Howie
• Professor I P Maithufi as full-time member
• Ms Z Seedat
• Judge W L Seriti