Geoffrey Bindman salutes the life & work of Edwin Cameron
Justice Edwin Cameron, of the Constitutional Court of South Africa, recently gave an eloquent account of legal developments in that country at the Law Society in London. It made me want to read his latest book and I am glad I did so. It tells two remarkable stories. One is his own personal story and the other his account of the new Constitution adopted after the election of the Mandela-led government in 1994 following the end of apartheid. The two stories are interwoven and together they present an inspiring record of creative energy, integrity, and an indomitable pursuit of justice.
Personal struggles
Edwin Cameron was brought up in poverty mainly by his mother. The family carried the heavy burden of a feckless and criminal father, who for much of Edwin’s childhood was in prison. Cameron freely acknowledges, however, that he had one huge advantage—his white skin—which among other privileges gave him access to the prestigious whites-only Pretoria Boys’ High School. There he
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