Challenges faced by citizens accessing legal representation in South Africa

Abstract

This study examines the role of the judicial system in the delivery of justice in South Africa. In doing so, it analyses the South African constitution and transformation that has taken place within the legal system and the considerations behind the constitutional recognition of access to justice in the current constitutional dispensation. It is noted that as the poor in South Africa exercise very little of their legal and constitutional rights; it might be attributed to lack of knowledge regarding their various options and, perhaps, many other factors. The major concern is that not enough people are receiving the same quality of legal representation afforded to those that make use of private practitioners.