Resumen

'NYANE, Hoolo  y  MAQAKACHANE, Tekane. Standing to litigate in the public interest in Lesotho: The case for a liberal approach. Afr. hum. rights law j. [online]. 2020, vol.20, n.2, pp.799-824. ISSN 1996-2096.  http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/1996-2096/2020/v20n2a20.

In Lesotho, standing to litigate is still based on the private law doctrine of locus standi in judicio. This doctrine requires the person who institutes an action in a court of law, regardless of whether it is in the private or public interest, to satisfy the court that he or she is directly and substantially interested in the outcome of the decision. Section 22(1) of the Constitution of Lesotho provides that any person who alleges that the Bill of Rights in the Constitution has been violated 'in relation to him' may approach the court of law for redress. Although the Constitution is silent about the enforcement of the other non-Bill of Rights parts of the Constitution, the courts have readily invoked section 22(1) to exclude litigants who are not 'directly and substantially' interested in the outcome of the case. This restrictive approach notwithstanding, a more liberal approach has been adopted in pockets of public law decisions of the superior courts in Lesotho. The purpose of this article is to amplify this liberal approach. The article argues that constitutional democracy in Lesotho will benefit from a liberal approach as opposed to a restrictive approach to standing. This is supported by a discernible movement in modern-day public law towards a more liberal approach to standing.

Palabras clave : standing; Constitution of Lesotho; locus standi; liberal approach; restrictive approach; public interest litigation.

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