Paul Hoffman
Paul Hoffman SC, a native of Johannesburg and a Wits graduate, practised law at the side bar from 1975 to 1980 and at the Cape Bar from 1980 to 2006. He took silk in 1995 and acted on the Cape Bench at the invitation of three successive judges president. After retiring from the Bar, he was founding director of the Centre for Constitutional Rights and co-founder, in 2009, of Accountability Now, both NGOs that promote constitutionalism. He is best known for his work on the irregularities in the arms deals, on the unconstitutionality of the Hawks and on the bread cartel case in which a general class action was developed by the courts. Yoga and long dog-walks on the beaches and mountains around his home in Noordhoek help keep him inspired to seek that elusive better life for all. He is the author of many articles and two books, Confronting the Corrupt, and Countering the Corrupt.
Articles By This Author
Being black doesn’t necessarily mean being “disadvantaged” for redress purposes
A debate concerning the meaning of the Constitution’s equality clause has erupted in the columns of the Daily Friend. Can it possibly be right that
The ultimate crunch issue in inquiries into Mkhwanazi complaints
Now that both the Madlanga Commission and the ad hoc committee of parliament have taken evidence from General Mkhwanazi concerning the complaints he aired at
Public Affairs Research Institute misses mark on countering corruption
There is a crying need in South Africa to come up with a plan that will improve the capacity of the state to deal with
Garnering allies to end corruption with impunity
The lot of a small civil society organisation that espouses unpopular causes is a lonely one. A voice crying in the wilderness against the excesses
Corruption is a human rights issue
It is true that the rampant corruption manifesting itself in SA and around the world is a crime. Uniquely so, it is a secretive, calculated
Approach NACAC report with uttermost caution, Mr President
In his most recent weekly newsletter dated 8 September 2025, the President, Cyril Ramaphosa, reflects on the final report of the National Anti-Corruption Advisory Council
A postscript on greed in SA
My piece of 24 August, Greed in SA the deadliest of the nation’s many sins, attracted a few comments, one of which is deserving of
Greed in SA the deadliest of the nation’s many sins
The Chancellor of the University of the Free State, Bonang Mohale, made a telling observation recently, when receiving an award in the USA. “The great
Governance by sleight of hand is pernicious
Old habits die hard. It could reasonably have been anticipated, after the tripartite alliance majority in the sixth parliament ended in the May 2024 general
All hands to the pumps
The fallout from General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi’s incendiary revelations at his 6 July briefing has now reached three of the four organs of state which could