Black S. African judge talks to 300

Ismail Mahomed, South Africa's first black Supreme Court justice, discussed American interest in South Africa's political tensions in a campus speech last night. In front of an audience of 300 at the Zellerbach Theater, Mahomed said there are four basic reasons for U.S. awareness. "First and most importantly, it is because of South African legal malaise of apartheid," he said. The second, Mahomed said, is a result of America's own past and current problems with racial prejudice. Third, South Africa's legalized racial discrimination opens the topic to worldwide analysis. Fourth, he said his country's tension between the "first world" portion of its population -- the white and wealthy -- and "third world" section -- the black and poor -- mirrors similar world conflicts. Describing the reasons behind the pervasive racial discrimination in South Africa, Mahomed said the sovereignty of the South African Parliament leaves people vulnerable to government abuse. Also, because its members are voted into office by the nation's white minority population, the parliament does not represent the black population as it should, Mahomed said. Changing direction, Mahomed said that government is legitimate if democracy is "emotionally internalized within the psyche of the people." Without interaction between the government and the governed, rulers are isolated from the people and have no legitimacy, Mahomed said. Mahomed also said that the South African people's morale will affect the eventual outcome of the apartheid issue. He said that the people's frustration and despair might thwart the anti-apartheid movement. But Mahomed added that world opinion will have an effect on the South Africa's human rights movement. "The force, direction and speed [of the anti-apartheid movement] will be affected by the role of the international community and the internal movements of human rights," he said. In his introductory remarks, Law School lecturer and U.S. Court of Appeals Justice Leon Higginbotham described Mahomed's goals and achievements as "an arduous, almost impossible task." Higginbotham also called Mahomed "the most able lawyer I've ever met . . . his mind is so fast he always seems to be ahead of everybody." After the speech, Law Professor Douglas Frenkel called Mahomed "eloquent and powerful." "I was mesmerized by his craft with words," Frenkel added. Second-year Law student Jason Isralowitz agreed with Mahomed's explanation of America's interest in South African politics. "The fact that we've been through a civil rights movement makes it that much more important for us to foster enfranchisement of lacks in South Africa," Isralowitz said. But second-year Law student Norberto Garcia was somewhat disappointed with Mahomed's speech. "Ethnic strife should have been focused on," Garcia said. The speech was the Owen Roberts Memorial Lecture, which is supported by the law firm of Montgomery, McCracken, Walker and Rhoads.

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