Deciding Matters of General Public Importance in South African Law: Guidance from the United Kingdom Supreme Court

The South African Constitutional Court is now conferred with the authority to decide matters of general public importance. Of course, the mere statement that the highest court should assume the authority to decide broad public matters does not assist litigants to fully understand which matters may be appealed to that court. Similarly, the Constitutional Court cannot accept appeals without consideration of its new appellate jurisdiction. The court should accept appeals with proper regard of its appellate jurisdiction; otherwise the extension of its jurisdiction could be rendered meaningless. The term “matters of general public importance” is rather novel in South African law; thus it is quite difficult to frame exactly what is implied by the term within the South African context. This article undertakes a comparative study to assess the term. A perusal of the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom Supreme Court may perhaps elucidate what is meant by the words “matters of general public importance”.