In the Spirit of Ubuntu : Enforcing the Rights of Orphans and Vulnerable Children Affected by HIV/AIDS in South Africa

This Article discusses the traditional African concept of ubuntu, which is frequently cited in South African jurisprudence, and analyzes South Africa's lack of compliance with the human rights of orphans and vulnerable children whose lives have been affected by HIV/AIDS. The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa explicitly protects children's rights and various socio-economic rights of concern to children, and the Constitutional Court of South Africa has held such rights to be justiciable. The constitutional rights of South African children affected by HIV/AIDS, however, have been continually violated. This Article discusses how the existence of these constitutional rights may assist orphans and vulnerable children as well as those advocating on their behalf. It also identifies legal strategies pertaining to such rights that may be used to improve the lives of HIV/AIDS-affected children in South Africa