Beginner's Guide For Law Students, 5th, Kleyn
Beginner's
- 230728
Guide
- 155136
For Law Students, 5th, Kleyn - 230728 - 155136 2/18/2026
Page 1 Beginner's Guide For Law Students, 5th, Kleyn - 230728 - 155136.pdf
,Beginner's Guide For Law Students,
Beginner's
5th, Kleyn
Guide
- 230728
For Law
- 155136
Students, 5th, Kleyn - 230728 - 155136 2/18/2026
Beginner’s Guide
for Law Students
FIFTH EDITION
Duard Kleyn
BA LLB LLD (Pret)
Emeritus Professor of Law,
University of Pretoria
Frans Viljoen
BLC LLB MA (Pret) LLM (Cantab) LLD (Pret)
Director of the Centre for Human Rights and Professor of Law,
University of Pretoria
Emile Zitzke
LLB LLD (Pret)
Senior Lecturer of Law,
University of the Witwatersrand
Palesa Madi
LLB (Wits)
Attorney and Acting Deputy Director: Centre for Applied Legal Studies,
University of the Witwatersrand
2018
Page 2 Beginner's Guide For Law Students, 5th, Kleyn - 230728 - 155136.pdf
Guide for Law Students 5ed.indb 1 2019/01/09 6:30 PM
,Beginner's Guide For Law Students,
Beginner's
5th, Kleyn
Guide
- 230728
For Law
- 155136
Students, 5th, Kleyn - 230728 - 155136 2/18/2026
FIRST EDITION 1995
Second impression 1996
SECOND EDITION 1998
THIRD EDITION 2002
FOURTH EDITION 2010
Reprinted 2011
Reprinted 2012
Second impression 2012
Reprinted 2013
Second impression 2013
Reprinted 2014
Second impression 2014
Third impression 2014
Fourth impression 2014
Reprinted 2015
Reprinted 2016
Reprinted 2017
Reprinted 2018
Second impression 2018
FIFTH EDITION 2018
Reprinted 2019
© Juta and Company (Pty) Ltd
First floor, Sunclare Building,
21 Dreyer Street, Claremont
This book is copyright under the Berne Convention. In terms of the Copyright
Act 98 of 1978, no part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any
form or by any means (including photocopying, recording, or by any information
storage and retrieval system) without permission in writing from the publisher.
ISBN 978 1 48512 834 2
Set by Elinye Ithuba, Kensington
Production Co-ordinator: Valencia Wyngaard-Arenz
Editor: Sarah Johnston
Cover photograph by Ben Law-Viljoen
Cover design: Drag and Drop
Printed and bound in the Republic of South Africa by DJE Flexible Print Solutions
Page 3 Beginner's Guide For Law Students, 5th, Kleyn - 230728 - 155136.pdf
Guide for Law Students 5ed.indb 2 2019/01/09 6:30 PM
, Beginner's Guide For Law Students,
Beginner's
5th, Kleyn
Guide
- 230728
For Law
- 155136
Students, 5th, Kleyn - 230728 - 155136 2/18/2026
Preface to the Fifth Edition
The cover image of the fifth edition of Beginner’s Guide for Law Students
is a photograph of the doors leading to the South African Constitutional
Court Chamber. The Constitutional Court is the highest court in South
Africa, regarded as a guardian of the Constitution of the Republic of
South Africa, 1996. One door is slightly ajar so that you can see half of
the Constitutional Court’s emblem. This cover image did not accidentally
end up here. Our hope is that through this book, new doors will open for
you; in fact, that this book will accompany you into a new world. More
specifically, we anticipate that it will entice you to enter the realm of
South African law through the portal of the transformative Constitution.
‘Mira Fassler Kamstra and I met one afternoon to discuss ideas for the
making of the doors, and as we looked through images a book fell open on a
photograph of a gold and red Kente cloth. The image spoke to us immediately.
The design would easily translate into copper or brass to make a flush, modern
door that would reflect light — the light of the law, the light representing
the highest court in the land. When we were informed that our entry had
won the competition for the design, the reality of making the doors set in. I
asked fellow artist and jewellery designer Verna Jooste to assist in bringing
them to life. We needed to create over 3 000 pieces to make up the doors, a
scale that immediately discounted some interesting treatments that we had
initially devised. We had no option but to etch each metal piece. As we made
the plates we wanted to find a way of working that would bring us close to
the material, so after some time we dispensed with a more “scientific” way
of using clocks and instruments and instead measured the readiness of the
copper for transferring images by watching the slowly heating metal until
it reached a deep orange. The entire door was made using this method of
“listening” to the material so that we had a more direct relationship with it,
and in doing so we found an organic, heartfelt and earthy way of making!’
— Andrew Lindsay
But the door is only slightly opened. We do not attempt to give you
the full picture of South African law or the Constitution here. We
simply intend to introduce you to the South African legal system, its
foundational concepts, subdivisions and objectives. We also hope to
impart some useful legal research skills. Above all, we hope to inspire
in you an enthusiasm for the law while being mindful of its limits. As
we will see in the journey that unfolds, law impacts on society in many
interesting and important ways. Law also sometimes fails to help people
who need its protection the most. As such, we aspire to give you a basic
understanding of the law as it stands but also to think about critiquing it
iii
Page 4 Beginner's Guide For Law Students, 5th, Kleyn - 230728 - 155136.pdf
Guide for Law Students 5ed.indb 3 2019/01/09 6:30 PM
Beginner's
- 230728
Guide
- 155136
For Law Students, 5th, Kleyn - 230728 - 155136 2/18/2026
Page 1 Beginner's Guide For Law Students, 5th, Kleyn - 230728 - 155136.pdf
,Beginner's Guide For Law Students,
Beginner's
5th, Kleyn
Guide
- 230728
For Law
- 155136
Students, 5th, Kleyn - 230728 - 155136 2/18/2026
Beginner’s Guide
for Law Students
FIFTH EDITION
Duard Kleyn
BA LLB LLD (Pret)
Emeritus Professor of Law,
University of Pretoria
Frans Viljoen
BLC LLB MA (Pret) LLM (Cantab) LLD (Pret)
Director of the Centre for Human Rights and Professor of Law,
University of Pretoria
Emile Zitzke
LLB LLD (Pret)
Senior Lecturer of Law,
University of the Witwatersrand
Palesa Madi
LLB (Wits)
Attorney and Acting Deputy Director: Centre for Applied Legal Studies,
University of the Witwatersrand
2018
Page 2 Beginner's Guide For Law Students, 5th, Kleyn - 230728 - 155136.pdf
Guide for Law Students 5ed.indb 1 2019/01/09 6:30 PM
,Beginner's Guide For Law Students,
Beginner's
5th, Kleyn
Guide
- 230728
For Law
- 155136
Students, 5th, Kleyn - 230728 - 155136 2/18/2026
FIRST EDITION 1995
Second impression 1996
SECOND EDITION 1998
THIRD EDITION 2002
FOURTH EDITION 2010
Reprinted 2011
Reprinted 2012
Second impression 2012
Reprinted 2013
Second impression 2013
Reprinted 2014
Second impression 2014
Third impression 2014
Fourth impression 2014
Reprinted 2015
Reprinted 2016
Reprinted 2017
Reprinted 2018
Second impression 2018
FIFTH EDITION 2018
Reprinted 2019
© Juta and Company (Pty) Ltd
First floor, Sunclare Building,
21 Dreyer Street, Claremont
This book is copyright under the Berne Convention. In terms of the Copyright
Act 98 of 1978, no part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any
form or by any means (including photocopying, recording, or by any information
storage and retrieval system) without permission in writing from the publisher.
ISBN 978 1 48512 834 2
Set by Elinye Ithuba, Kensington
Production Co-ordinator: Valencia Wyngaard-Arenz
Editor: Sarah Johnston
Cover photograph by Ben Law-Viljoen
Cover design: Drag and Drop
Printed and bound in the Republic of South Africa by DJE Flexible Print Solutions
Page 3 Beginner's Guide For Law Students, 5th, Kleyn - 230728 - 155136.pdf
Guide for Law Students 5ed.indb 2 2019/01/09 6:30 PM
, Beginner's Guide For Law Students,
Beginner's
5th, Kleyn
Guide
- 230728
For Law
- 155136
Students, 5th, Kleyn - 230728 - 155136 2/18/2026
Preface to the Fifth Edition
The cover image of the fifth edition of Beginner’s Guide for Law Students
is a photograph of the doors leading to the South African Constitutional
Court Chamber. The Constitutional Court is the highest court in South
Africa, regarded as a guardian of the Constitution of the Republic of
South Africa, 1996. One door is slightly ajar so that you can see half of
the Constitutional Court’s emblem. This cover image did not accidentally
end up here. Our hope is that through this book, new doors will open for
you; in fact, that this book will accompany you into a new world. More
specifically, we anticipate that it will entice you to enter the realm of
South African law through the portal of the transformative Constitution.
‘Mira Fassler Kamstra and I met one afternoon to discuss ideas for the
making of the doors, and as we looked through images a book fell open on a
photograph of a gold and red Kente cloth. The image spoke to us immediately.
The design would easily translate into copper or brass to make a flush, modern
door that would reflect light — the light of the law, the light representing
the highest court in the land. When we were informed that our entry had
won the competition for the design, the reality of making the doors set in. I
asked fellow artist and jewellery designer Verna Jooste to assist in bringing
them to life. We needed to create over 3 000 pieces to make up the doors, a
scale that immediately discounted some interesting treatments that we had
initially devised. We had no option but to etch each metal piece. As we made
the plates we wanted to find a way of working that would bring us close to
the material, so after some time we dispensed with a more “scientific” way
of using clocks and instruments and instead measured the readiness of the
copper for transferring images by watching the slowly heating metal until
it reached a deep orange. The entire door was made using this method of
“listening” to the material so that we had a more direct relationship with it,
and in doing so we found an organic, heartfelt and earthy way of making!’
— Andrew Lindsay
But the door is only slightly opened. We do not attempt to give you
the full picture of South African law or the Constitution here. We
simply intend to introduce you to the South African legal system, its
foundational concepts, subdivisions and objectives. We also hope to
impart some useful legal research skills. Above all, we hope to inspire
in you an enthusiasm for the law while being mindful of its limits. As
we will see in the journey that unfolds, law impacts on society in many
interesting and important ways. Law also sometimes fails to help people
who need its protection the most. As such, we aspire to give you a basic
understanding of the law as it stands but also to think about critiquing it
iii
Page 4 Beginner's Guide For Law Students, 5th, Kleyn - 230728 - 155136.pdf
Guide for Law Students 5ed.indb 3 2019/01/09 6:30 PM
