“International law may be defined as a normative body of rules and principles which are binding upon states in their relations with one another.” Dugard Dugard’s International Law: A South African Perspective (2018) p. 1

Since the completion of the process of democratisation in South Africa and the subsequent acceptance of South Africa as a fully-fledged member of the international community of states, international law has roused wide interest. International law figures very prominently in a substantial number of provisions of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996. For example, in the preamble to the Constitution it is explicitly stated that the people of South Africa wish to build a united and democratic South Africa able to take its rightful place as a sovereign state in the family of nations, and in terms of section 39(1)(b) of the Constitution the courts are obliged to consider international law when interpreting the Bill of Rights. Therefore, in order to understand the Constitution correctly, a thorough knowledge of at least the basic rules and principles of international law is indispensable. After completion of this module you should be equipped with the required knowledge.