SUPPORT FOR THE RULE OF LAW IN THE EMERGING SOUTH-AFRICAN DEMOCRACY

Whether ordinary people support the rule of law and have confidence in legal institutions is a crucial element of the successful consolidati on of a democratic transition. Accordingly, we investigate here basic attitudes towards law and legal institutions within the South African political culture. Eased on a 1996 survey of the South African mass pu blic, we discover that support for the rule of law is not particularly common in South Africa, although racial differences in attitudes are substantial. Confidence in legal institutions, however, is independent of attitudes towards the rule of law. While we discover little residu e of experiences with apartheid in attitudes towards the rule of law, we conclude that democratic consolidation in South Africa would be ser ved by an increase in commitment to the rule of law among Africans and an increase in confidence in legal institutions among Whites, Coloure d people, and South Africans of Asian origin.