News

Memorial Service of Dr Zola Skweyiya

Please join us in celebrating and honouring the life and contribution of Dr Zola Skweyiya, a former colleague at the University of the Western Cape and a former minister in the South African government. Dr Skweyiya joined UWC in 1990 after returning to South Africa from political exile where he worked with Adv Dullah Omar in the newly established Community Law Centre based in the Law Faculty.

The Dullah Omar Institute has noted with great sadness the passing of Dr Skweyiya, one of the founding members of the Institute (formerly the Community Law Centre). Dr Skweyiya fully represented the unwavering commitment to justice and the protection of the marginalised that characterised the generation of leaders that helped usher in democracy and went on to serve South Africa with great distinction.

Strides towards a research agenda for local government key

Problems in local government must be investigated, this is necessary because a large portion of South Africa and its people are feeling and living the consequences of poor governance. This is according to Prof Nico Steytler, SARChI Chair in Multlevel Government, Law and Policy at the Dullah Omar Institute when delivering a keynote address at the SALGA Research Colloquium currently taking place at the Cape Sun Hotel from 28-29 March 2018.

Dullah Omar Institute appoints a new Extraordinary Professor

Prof Christopher Mbazira from Public Interest Law Clinic (PILAC) at Makerere University in Uganda has been appointed an Extraordinary Associate Professor in the Dullah Omar Institute at the University of the Western Cape.

Prof Henk Kummeling becomes Rector Magnificus of Utrecht University

The Supervisory Board of Utrecht University has appointed Prof. Henk Kummeling, who is Extraordinary Professor at the Dullah Omar Institute, as Rector Magnificus. On 1 June 2018, he will be succeeding Prof. Bert van der Zwaan. Kummeling is presently a distinguished professor of Utrecht University.

Prof Ayele becomes Director of Center for Federal and Governance Studies

The Dullah Omar Institute would like to congratulate its Extraordinary Professor, Zemelak Ayele, who has been appointed the Director of the Center for Federal and Governance Studies at Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia.

New: Journal article by Dr Tinashe Calton Chigwata & Melissa Ziswa in the Hague Journal on the Rule of Law.

Dullah Omar Institute’s Dr Tinashe Calton Chigwata, and Melissa Ziswa’s journal article titled: Entrenching Decentralisation in Africa: A Review of the African Charter on the Values and Principles of Decentralisation, Local Governance and Local Development, got published in the Hague Journal on the Rule of Law yesterday.

ACSL releases Civic Protest Barometer 2018 Fact Sheet #2

According to this second fact sheet, metros and highly urbanised provinces most prone to civic protests. It analyses the geographical spread of civic protests.

ACSL delivers Civic Protest Barometer 2018 Fact Sheet #1

Dullah Omar Institute’s Applied Constitutional Studies Laboratory has released its first Fact Sheet , Civic Protest Barometer 2018 - Drop in Civic protests in South Africa in 2017.

The Institute welcomes two visiting doctoral researchers

The SARChI Chair in Multlevel Government, Law and Policy, Prof Nico Steytler, is hosting two visiting doctoral researchers from Europe. The two will be with the institute for the duration of 2018.

The South African Research Chair (SARChi) in Multilevel Government, Law and Policy, based at the Institute of Dullah Omar Institute (DOI) for Constitutional law, Governance and Human Rights of the University of the Western Cape, is pleased to announce a full-time post-doctoral research fellowship in multilevel government for 2018.

Jaap de Visser presents at Conference on Decentralisation in Tunisia

Jaap de Visser presented at the 32rd Conference of the Institut Arabe des Chefs d'Entreprises (IACE) in Sousse, Tunisia. IACE is an NGO in Tunisia that works to support the private sector in Tunisia. This year's IACE Conference (7-8 December 2017) was dedicated to decentralisation.

Since 25 November, during the 16 Days of Activism, the #NotOurLeaders has covered 20 cases of politicians from a spectrum of political parties and people in senior government positions who have faced allegations of sexual misconduct. The nature of the misconduct has included demanding sex for jobs or promotions, verbal and physical harassment, sexual assault, and rape - including rape of children. Some of the people covered by the campaign are facing criminal charges while others have faced internal complaints or disciplinary action. All of the cases have been reported on by media.

What happened to these cases? Mohapi and 4 others

In February 2015 Mohapi Jihad Mohapi, chair of the Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) Select Committee in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) was charged with assaulting his former girlfriend. According to a journalist who had access to the photographs, the woman’s injuries included a blue eye and bruising to most of her upper chest region, the upper part of one arm, as well as one thigh. Mohapi handed himself over to the police and was charged with assault, kidnapping and crimen injuria. The fate of the criminal case is unknown.

Guilty but still protected: Should abusers remain in the political office?

In August 2017 the former Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training, Mduduzi Manana, was captured on camera assaulting three women with the assistance of his friends Thulani Madonka and Cyril Madonsela. This led to his resignation and subsequent conviction of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. In early November Manana was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment or a R100 000 fine, as well as community service – a sentence which enables him to remain in Parliament. The Constitution stipulates that individuals only become ineligible to stand as public representatives if, in the last five years, they have received a sentence in excess of 12 months without the option of a fine.

Another Teflon Man - Government ignores it’s own #CountMeIn campaign

Esther Mahlangu-Mathibela was sexually harassed for three years by George Mthimunye, the then-municipal manager of the Dr JS Moroka Municipality in Mpumalanga. In 2001 Mthimunye was finally suspended and charged with sexual harassment and unauthorised or fruitless expenditure. He later settled with the municipality and resigned in 2001, reportedly having received a R5 million settlement. Mthimunye was then appointed the municipal manager of the Naledi municipality in Vryburg – and suspended in 2010 in the course of disciplinary proceedings against him, related to tender irregularities.

Aiding and abetting sexual harassment

On 1 June 2017 Malibongwe Ngcai started his job as general manager of corporate services in the Eastern Cape Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), and Basil Mase the general manager of strategic information management, also in COGTA. Both men had resigned their positions as senior managers in the Eastern Cape Legislature only one day before joining COGTA – so evading any sanctions arising from the disciplinary proceedings against them.

When sexual harassment is rewarded with a golden handshake

In March 2017 a 44-year-old government female employee in the labour relations unit of the Sekhukhune District municipal council in Limpopo reportedly had to apply for a protection order against “the institution’s corporate services director.”

Political parties don't suspend members charged with sexual offences–even when charged with rape against children

In May of this year an unnamed ANC councillor was accused of raping a 16-year old girl. He was released on bail of R5 000 by the Mdutjana Magistrate’s Court in Siyabuswa, Mpumalanga and the next court date set for 23 June.

Organisations and activists call on Gauteng ANC to act against councillor accused of rape

On Thursday 30 November Sipho Maselane, an ANC councillor for Winterveldt, will be appearing in the Ga-Rankuwa magistrates court to face multiple criminal charges, including for rapes and robberies committed in 2014 and 2015. The case has been on the court roll for over two years and been postponed numerous times.

Democratic Alliance fails to develop a sexual harassment policy for their public representatives

In May 2017 a 26-year old worker in the DA offices laid a sexual harassment complaint against Edmund van Vuuren, the DA’s Chief Whip in the Eastern Cape Legislature.

Inkatha Freedom Party flouts its own constitution by failing to act against member charged with sexual offences

Mcedisi Maphisa, a representative of the IFP and the Deputy Mayor of AbaQulusi has been charged with sexual assault, indecent exposure of genitals and compelling a person to witness masturbation.

ANC fails to act against councillor accused of rape

Sipho Maselane is accused, along with another man, of raping and robbing two women in 2014 and another two in 2015.

#NotOurLeaders Campaign launches

#NotOurLeaders Campaign launched by Women and Democracy Initiative, Lawyers for Human Rights and gender violence specialist during 16 Days of Activism to end violence against women. On 25 November, marks the start of the annual 16 Days of Activism to End Violence Against Women. Activities led by government emphasise the importance of taking action to end gender-based violence but do political parties walk the talk?

Fighting corruption requires a combined effort, should be a shared objective and citizens need to be actively involved in this fight. This is according to Dullah Omar Institute’s researcher, Dr Tinashe Chigwata during a seminar on Combatting Corruption held at Stellenbosch Institute of Advanced Studies recently(STIAS) on 6 November 2017. The seminar was part of STIAS year-end function for PhD Scholarship holders with an audience of students from all over Africa.

The South African Local Government Association (SALGA), in partnership with the University of the Western Cape’s Dullah Omar Institute, will host a research colloquium in Cape Town on 28 – 29 March 2018. The theme of the colloquium is “Rethinking Local Government Transformation: Spatial Planning, Robust Governance and Sustainable Financing as tools for developmental local government”

LLM Bursary on Human Rights Food Security up for grabs!

The Socio-economic Rights Project at the Dullah Omar Institute, University of the Western Cape (UWC) has a bursary available for a full-time student to study in 2018 towards a Master’s Degree in Law with a specific focus on Human Rights and Food Security.

Dullah Omar Institute welcomes a new Post-Doctoral fellow

Dr Conrad Bosire has rejoined the Dullah Omar Institute as a post-doctoral fellow under the SARChI chair. The aim of the fellowship is to update his PhD thesis and research into a publication.