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Albie Sachs

アルビー・サックス

Arubī Sakkusu

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1935-01-30 （Johannesburg (Florence Nightingale Hospital)）
Nationality
South African
Languages
English, Portuguese
Religion
Judaism (secular/cultural identification)
Residence History
Johannesburg (birth) → Cape Town (raised, education) → London (exile, activism, writing) → Maputo (residence and academic work in Mozambique) → Dublin (work on Bill of Rights draft)

Career

Occupations
lawyer, activist, judge, writer, professor
Active Years
1956-2009
Affiliations
Constitutional Court of South Africa (former Justice), African National Congress (ANC, former activist/NEC member), University of London - South African Constitutional Studies Centre (founding director)
Influenced By
Emile 'Solly' Sachs (father), Moses Kotane, Oliver Tambo
Influenced
South African constitutional scholars and human rights advocates, International judicial and constitutional reform movements

Education

South African College Schools
Country: South Africa
Secondary education; edited the school magazine.
University of Cape Town
Faculty of Law / Department of Law
Degree: BA, LLB
Year of Graduation: 1956
Country: South Africa
Entered law school at 15; admitted to the bar at 21.
University of Sussex
Doctoral studies (law)
Degree: PhD
Year of Graduation: 1970
Country: United Kingdom
Doctoral thesis 'Justice in South Africa'.

Awards

Sunday Times CNA Literary Awards
1991
Work: Soft Vengeance of a Freedom Fighter
Organization: Sunday Times (South Africa)
Result: 受賞
Sunday Times CNA Literary Awards
2010
Work: The Strange Alchemy of Life and Law
Organization: Sunday Times (South Africa)
Result: 受賞
Order of Luthuli (silver)
2006
Category: 功労
Organization: President of South Africa
Result: 受章
Tang Prize - Rule of Law
2014
Category: Rule of Law
Organization: Tang Prize Foundation
Result: 受賞
Legion of Honour
2021
Organization: President of France
Result: 受章
Golden Plate Award
2009
Organization: Academy of Achievement
Result: 受賞
Reconciliation Award
2009
Organization: Institute for Justice and Reconciliation
Result: 受賞
The Albies - Inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award
2022
Category: Lifetime Achievement
Organization: Clooney Foundation for Justice
Result: 受賞
Lincoln Medal
2010
Organization: Ford's Theatre Society
Result: 受賞
Order of the Southern Cross
Organization: President of Brazil
Result: 受章

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Soft Vengeance of a Freedom Fighter

1990 memoir / non-fiction

A memoir reflecting on the 1988 car-bomb attack, his recovery, anti-apartheid activism, and reflections on law and justice.

recovery and reconciliationjusticehuman rights

Justice in South Africa

1973 scholarship / legal philosophy

Based on his doctoral thesis, this work discusses law and justice in South Africa; it was banned in South Africa after publication.

law and human rightscolonialism and discrimination

The Strange Alchemy of Life and Law

2009 essays / legal philosophy

Essays drawing connections between legal reasoning, judgments and personal life experiences.

empathy in adjudicationaffirmation of diversity

Bibliography

  • The Jail Diary of Albie Sachs (1966)
  • Stephanie on Trial (1968)
  • Justice in South Africa (1973)
  • Protecting Human Rights in a New South Africa (1990)
  • The Soft Vengeance of a Freedom Fighter (1990)
  • Advancing Human Rights in South Africa (1992)
  • The Free Diary of Albie Sachs (2004)
  • The Strange Alchemy of Life and Law (2009)
  • We, the People: Insights of an Activist Judge (2016)
  • Oliver Tambo's Dream: Four Lectures (2017)

Adaptations

  • The Jail Diary (dramatised by David Edgar; televised by the BBC in 1981)
  • Documentary 'Soft Vengeance: Albie Sachs and the New South Africa' (dir. Abby Ginzberg, 2014)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
memoiristicessayisticlegal-philosophical
Recurring Motifs
justicereconciliation ('soft vengeance')human dignityempathy and Ubuntu

Health

  • physical disability (loss of right arm, impaired vision in left eye)
    1988–
    Following a 1988 car-bomb attack he lost his right arm and suffered impaired vision in his left eye; this shaped his life but he continued active writing, teaching and judicial work.

Legacy

From anti-apartheid activist to Constitutional Court Justice, Sachs influenced the making of post-apartheid constitutionalism and promoted reconciliation and human dignity; internationally honoured with awards and many honorary degrees.

Museums

  • Constitutional Court Art Collection Constitution Hill, Johannesburg

Academic Societies

  • Multiple universities awarding honorary degrees

Archives

  • O'Malley Archives (Nelson Mandela Foundation)
  • Constitutional Court records and judgment collections

In Popular Culture

  • Documentary 'Soft Vengeance' won a Peabody Award
  • Featured in Netflix documentary 'Live to Lead'

Quotes

  • The universality of the franchise is important not only for nationhood and democracy. The vote of each and every citizen is a badge of dignity and personhood.
    Source: August v Electoral Commission (judgment) (1999)
  • Humor is one of the great solvents of democracy. A society that takes itself too seriously risks bottling up its tensions and treating every example of irreverence as a threat to its existence.
    Source: Laugh It Off Promotions CC v South African Breweries International (Sachs concurring opinion) (2005)

Trivia

  • Entered law school at age 15.
  • Began practising law at age 21.
  • Lost his right arm and suffered impaired vision in the left eye after a 1988 car-bomb attack but continued active international engagement.
  • The Clooney Foundation's 'Albie Awards' are named in his honour.