Everyone has the right to freedom of association.
During apartheid, association between different racial groups was considered to be illegal. Apartheid legislation, including the Group Areas Act, the Separate Amenities Act, and the Bantu Education Act, entrenched the notion that certain groups were less entitled to human rights than others. Many anti-apartheid activists who attempted to defy and protest these unjust laws were arrested, and organisations were banned.
The right to freedom of association makes the practice of many of the other rights stated in the Bill of Rights possible, and extends to all the different forms of association which may occur in a society.
