ASSIGNMENT 2 ANSWERS
SEMESTER 2
LEGAL PHILOSOPHY
(LJU4801)
The landmark decision in S v Makwanyane (1995) abolished the death penalty in
South Africa. Significantly, the judgment foregrounded an African legal-philosophical
approach by rooting its rejection of capital punishment in ubuntu, a normative
framework emphasizing reconciliation, restorative justice, and democratic solidarity.
This essay will explain how the judgment aligns with African legal philosophical
principles by showing how ubuntu operates as a guiding norm in interpreting South
Africa’s Constitution and legitimates the legal system.
The Constitutional Court in Makwanyane explicitly invoked ubuntu to argue that
punishment should not be about retribution or societal vengeance but about healing
and restoring relationships. The Court found retribution and group catharsis to be
inconsistent with an ubuntu-based jurisprudence because such approaches violate the