[RECOMMENDED PODCAST] The Thursday Profile: Justice Zac Yacoob We had a fabulous one hour today on Power Talk with Zac (he insists on being called Zac). Born in 1948, we chatted and laughed about, and reflected on, many aspects of his life and career. These include the early years of growing up in Durbs in the 50s and 60s in a conservative home (mom was at home & dad was a priest); discrimination he experienced as a blind person; the random choice he made to study law; his use of law before democracy to fight the apartheid system by using its own legal instruments against it; being involved in the struggle and in particular the UDF & of course his impact after 1994 on our country as a Justice of our constitutional court. When you listen to this podcast his incredible honesty, and wit - apart from his obviously sharp intellect - jumps out at you. For example he told he was a racist child and teen until he met South Africans with a different background at college. He recalls, for example, until then only associating black men with bad body odour (!!) because the only black men hed previously met were labourers. Equally, it was refreshing to meet dumb white people (!) He also recalls asking his dad whether he should hire someone with asthma and his dad had to point out the irony of a blind man, with memory of folks for example avoiding speaking to him in large groups, wanting to discriminate unfairly against others. So he owns his journey, his past, his reality which is our reality. But all the time he is committed deeply to the normative values of our constitutional vision. And so we spent quite some time too reflecting on the power and limits of the constitution. Music, books & family life were in the conversation too. And a surprise call.... Have a listen. Power 98.7 Now were talking
Posted on: Thu, 20 Mar 2014 18:18:57 +0000
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