south africa: wider implications to securing rights through the constitutional court

In years to come, we will reflect on this moment in 2002, and the deeper, more subtle ripples that will have been created by the Treatment Action Campaign's (TAC) Constitutional Court case, particularly in terms of the greater realisation of socio-economic and human rights. Why is it that civil society needs to use such extreme mechanisms to ensure that their message is heard? Surely we have sought to elect responsive and listening decision-makers who hear the voices of civil society and ensure that the concerns of the poor are at the heart of government policy? What has happened to the more traditional places for civil society to raise their concerns?