A critical analysis of codification: Analysing the value of family preservation in African Law

• Jurisdiction: South Africa
• Published date: 30 October 2020
• Pages: 63-92
• Date: 30 October 2020
• Citation: (2020) 7(1) Journal of Comparative Law in Africa 63
• Author: Chikaonda, G.P.

63

A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF CODIFICATION:

ANALYSING THE VALUE OF FAMILY

PRESERVATION IN AFRICAN LAW

Gloria Paidamoyo Chikaonda*

Abstract

The laws and practices of African people have often been regarded as repugnant,

and in many cases have been completely ignored. During the colonial per iod,

African laws were denied. In this context the important questions surrounding the

preservation and development of a legal theory that is distinctly African arises. I will

argue that the codification of African customary law values is one way of ensur ing

the survival of African law and, in furtherance of that aim, I will examine the

value of preserving the family. With reference to South African and Zimbabwean

legislation and jurisprudence and an overview of the Namibian approach to dealing

with the recognition of customary law, I propose that in place of the codification of

customary laws and practices, consolidating – in textual format – the underlying

values, such as the preservation of the family, will be an effective way of laying

the foundation for an African legal theory. This will preserve African law, while

maintaining the dynamism and fluidity of customs and practices.

Key words: legal theory; Africa; codification; family; customary law

Résumé

Les règles et les pratiques des Africains ont longtemps été l’objet de répugnance

et, dans de nombreux cas, ont été complètement ignorées. Pendant la colonisation,

nous avons assisté à un déni des règles africaines. C’est dans ce contexte que se

posent les questions importantes autour de la préservation et le dévelopement d’une

théorie juridique africaine qui serait intrinsèquement africaine. J’argumenterai

que la codification des valeurs du droit coutumier africain est un moyen d’assurer

la survie du droit africain et, dans la poursuite de cet objectif, je commencerai

à décortiquer la valeur de la préservation de la famille. En ce qui concerne la

législation et la jurisprudence sud-africaines et zimbabwéennes, ainsi qu’un aperçu

de l’approche namibienne pour faire face à la reconnaissance du droit coutumier,

je propose qu’à la place de la codification des règles et pratiques coutumières elles-

mêmes, en consolidant - sous forme textuelle – les valeurs sous-jacentes telles que la

préservation de la famille, seront un moyen efficace de jeter les bases d’une théorie

juridique africaine. Cela permettra de préserver le droit africain, tout en maintenant

le dynamisme et la fluidité des coutumes et des pratiques.

Mots-clés: théorie juridique; Afrique; codification; famille; droit coutumier

* BA LLB LLM; PhD candidate and researcher, University of Cape Town. Email: gloria.

chikaonda@alumni.uct.ac.za.

(2020) 7(1) Journal of Comparative Law in Africa 63

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64 JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE LAW IN AFRICA VOL 7, NO 1, 2020

Introduction

I will argue that the codification of African customary law values can be

used as a way of ensuring the survival of African law. In furtherance of this

aim, I will attempt to summarise the Afr ican law value of the preservation of

the family, as it appears in South African and Zimbabwean customary laws

and jurisprudence. Afr ican law is defined as ‘the laws that are indigenous

to Africa’.1 I will first discuss the importance and relevance of the

codification of African law by providing an overview of the history of law

in sub-Saharan Africa, with specific reference to South Africa, Zimbabwe

and Namibia. I will argue that colonialism eroded and, in some ways,

diluted African customary laws, r ules and practices as they existed prior

to colonialism, and I will demonstrate the negative effects that received

laws from the colonial period had on African societies. I will further more

suggest that in an attempt to combine living2 African customary laws that

exist independently of state or official law with the latter, it may be useful

to codify the values that underpin African customary laws and practices,

just as the ascertainment project of customary law in Namibia did. This

will create official law that is closely aligned to the customary law that is

practised on the ground and that responds more effectively to the needs

of the people who practise it. Furthermore, this will have the effect of

preserving African law values in ver ifiable texts,3 whilst allowing for the

creation and dynamic development of different rules and practices that

flow from those values. It will also lay the foundation for an African law

jurisprudence, which has been identified as missing in legal academia.

This article will discuss the value of the preservation of the family, and

will argue that this value is central to the organisation of African society4

and indeed is quintessential to African law. The value warrants a deep

understanding by legal scholars on the continent, and the article will

therefore discuss the nature and content of this value. Finally, the article

will make recommendations on how codification can take place, and will

consider some of the possible pitfalls of the process of codification. In

that regard, the ar ticle will argue in favour of the textualisation of values

as opposed to rules or practices, by demonstrating the var ious forms of

practices that can be created from the same value. This will demonstrate

how such a codification of African customary law will be different

from and therefore preferable to the codification of African customs

1 Woodman, G. & Obilade, A.O. African Law and Legal Theory (1995) at xi.

2 Living customary law refers to the customary law that is actually practised by the people in

their day-to-day lives. It is contrasted with official customary law, which is captured in tangible

sources such as books and precedents, and is often not representative of the customary law that is

practised currently.

3 These are texts that can be used to ascertain what the correct customary law is and how and

why it came into being.

4 Radcliffe-Brown, A.R. & Ford, D. African Systems of Kinship (1950) at 1.

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