Justice Albie Sachs

01/29/2007 at 9:00 a.m.

Justice Albie Sachs was appointed to the Constitutional Court of South Africa by Nelson Mandela in 1994. Many people considered his judicial appointment a reward for helping bring a new democratic constitution to South Africa. Yet, he finds that idea distressing. "What had given honor and dignity to our lives was precisely the fact that we chose to combat injustice without thought or even hope of receiving personal benefit," he writes.

An assassination attempt took Sachs' right arm and his sight in one eye. He spent long spells unjustly imprisoned. What kept him going throughout the years? What's next for him and for South Africa's future?

Guests:
Justice Albie Sachs of the Constitutional Court of South Africa. He is the author of Justice in South Africa, The Jail Diary of Albie Sachs and Sexism and the Law. His newest book is The Soft Vengeance of a Freedom Fighter.