Philanthropy, civil society and litigation – without these our democracy could truly be captured

There have recently been a number of high profile court cases brought by civil society organisations that have tested our Constitution and ensured that government functions within our constitutional framework. Such cases relating to our human rights were, in the past, often brought by individuals or communities with the support of civil society groups such as the Legal Resource Centre which received philanthropic funding to take these cases forward. However, we are increasingly seeing civil society organisations themselves now taking government to court with a significant impact on our political, social and economic landscape. This is good for governance and democracy.