A legal history of oath-swearing

Abstract

South Africa has a diverse population with various cultures, religions and traditions, all of which enjoy equal protection. This position may cause conflict in areas where the law and religion intersect. One of these areas is oath-swearing. Due to the legal pluralistic nature of South Africa, it is necessary to examine these areas of intersection to ensure that the Constitutional rights and values are adhered to. Oath-swearing is a legal action with religious implication as a proclamation of the truth or promise and is manifested in two forms, an assertory oath or a promissory oath. The purpose of this study was to determine how the external and internal legal history of oath-swearing influenced the practice of oath-swearing during specific selected eras in South African legal history to make some recommendations for the South African law. A transdisciplinary investigation of the practice of oath-swearing is undertaken by applying selected theories of legal theory, linguistics and communication, sociology and religion to the practice of oath-swearing. This study followed the development of the practice of oath-swearing, in both its assertory- and promissory oath forms in selected eras in the Roman law and the Roman-Dutch legal history, which are some of the pillars of the South African legal system. Selected eras in the development of the practice of oath-swearing were furthermore investigated as it developed in South Africa from its settlement until the current Constitutional era. In addition, the legal pluralistic nature of the South African legal system is taken into consideration and oath-swearing in Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, and African Customary law are briefly investigated. The study concluded that the current legal position regarding the practice of oath-swearing in South Africa constitutes unfair indirect discrimination on the basis of religion and culture. In order to promote fairness and equality in the administration of justice, it is recommended that the relevant sections which require an oath to be sworn are rewritten to provide intended swearers with the option of swearing an oath according to his or her own religion. It is also recommended that the person who administers the oath, inform the intended swearer of the implications of oath-swearing, what constitutes perjury or the breaking of an oath, and the consequences thereof. Suid-Afrika het ʼn diverse bevolking met ʼn verskeidenheid kulture, gelowe en tradisies waarvan almal gelyke beskerming geniet. Hierdie posisie mag moontlik konflik veroorsaak waar die reg en geloof mekaar oorvleuel. Een van hierdie gedeeltes behels eedaflegging. Weens die regspluralistiese aard van Suid-Afrika is dit noodsaaklik om hierdie oorvleuelings onder die loep te neem en vas te stel of dit aan die Grondwetlike regte en waardes voldoen. Eedaflegging is ʼn regsaksie met 'n geloofsimplikasie as die verklaring van waarheid of belofte en bestaan in twee vorms, ʼn assertoriese eed en 'n promissoriese eed. Die doel van hierdie studie was om vas te stel hoe die interne- en eksterne regsgeskiedenis van eedaflegging die gebruik van eedaflegging beïnvloed het. Die studie het spesifiek gefokus op geselekteerde eras in die Suid-Afrikaanse regsgeskiedenis ten einde aanbevelings vir die Suid-Afrikaanse reg te maak. Derhalwe word in transdissiplinêre studie van eedaflegging onderneem, deur geselekteerde teorieë in regsteorie, linguistiek en kommunikasie, sosiologie en geloof toe te pas op eedaflegging. Die studie volg die ontwikkeling van eedaflegging vir beide die assertoriese- en die promissoriese eed gedurende die spesifieke eras in die Romeinse reg en die Romeins-Hollandse regsgeskiedenis wat sommige van die pilare van die Suid-Afrikaanse regsisteem vorm. Geselekteerde eras in die ontwikkeling van eedaflegging is ook ondersoek in die ontwikkelingsgeskiedenis van Suid-Afrika vanaf vestiging deur die Nederlanders tot die huidige Konstitusionele era. Die regspluralistiese aard van die Suid-Afrikaanse regsisteem is ook in ag geneem deur eedaflegging in Islam, Judaïsme, Hindoeïsme en Afrika gewoontereg te ondersoek. Die studie het bevind dat die huidige regsposisie met betrekking tot eedaflegging in Suid-Afrika, onregverdige indirekte diskriminasie op grond van geloof en kultuur uitmaak. Ten einde regverdigheid en gelykheid in die regspleging te bevorder, word daar aanbeveel dat die relevante artikels wat die sweer van ʼn eed vereis, herskryf moet word om vir voorgenome sweerders die opsie te gee om ʼn eed af te lê ingevolge sy/haar geloof. Daar word verder aanbeveel dat die persoon wat die eed afneem, die sweerder moet verwittig van die implikasies van eedaflegging, wat meineed of eedbreuk is, en wat die gevolge daarvan sal wees.