Lecture
Mark Oppenheimer and Professor David Peimer
Thursday 15.10.2026
Mark Oppenheimer and Professor David Peimer
South Africa at a Crossroads
Thursday 15.10.2026
How to watch
This lecture starts on 15 October at 5:00pm (UK).
Summary
South Africa emerged from apartheid with a constitution committed to non-racialism, individual rights, and reconciliation, yet its government has increasingly adopted race-based laws and policies permitting expropriation without compensation. This talk examines these developments alongside the contested boundary between freedom of expression and hate speech, drawing on leading cases involving offensive speech, historical symbols, and the “Kill the Boer” chant. We also consider South Africa’s genocide case against Israel in the International Court of Justice, and asks what the country’s domestic and foreign policies reveal about equality before the law, constitutionalism, and the rule of law.
Mark Oppenheimer
Mark Oppenheimer has practised at the Johannesburg Bar for 15 years. He has appeared before the Supreme Court of Appeal and Constitutional Court in cases concerning freedom of expression and hate speech, several featured in Columbia University’s Global Freedom of Expression database. He led the televised Kill the Boer hate speech trial against the EFF and Julius Malema. He appears on television to discuss human rights and the rule of law. He has made submissions to Parliament on hate speech legislation and to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Mark is president of the Institute of Race Relations, a University of Cape Town Council member, and executive director of the Free Speech Union of South Africa. He hosts ‘Brain in a Vat’, a philosophy podcast with over 200 interviews, and has delivered lectures in America, the UK and South Africa.
Professor David Peimer
David Peimer is a Professor of Literature, Film and Theatre in the UK. He has worked for the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, New York University (Global Division) and was a Fulbright Scholar at Columbia University. Born in South Africa, David has won numerous awards for playwriting and directing. He has most recently directed Dame Janet Suzman in his own play, Joanna’s Story, at London Jewish Book Week. He has published numerous books, including Armed Response: Plays from South Africa and the digital book Theatre in the Camps. He is on the board of the Pinter Centre (London), and has been involved with the Mandela Foundation, Vaclav Havel Foundation and directed a range of plays at Mr Havel’s Prague theatre.