A 2020 Constitutional Court judgment emphasised that “a comprehensive social security, particularly for the most vulnerable members of society,” is a cornerstone of any young democracy. 

Maria Mahlangu died at her employer’s home in 2012, drowning in a swimming pool while her boss of 22 years “heard no sounds of a struggle” while inside her home. Were it you or me, our kith and kin would not be seen to be doing anything out of the ordinary were they to request compensation on our death – as Maria’s daughter, Sylvia, subsequently did. ..