News

South Africa’s Constitution contains a wide range of socio-economic rights. In 2015, expanding and deepening South Africa’s commitment to the realization of socio-economic rights, the South African Government ratified the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). On international human rights day today we draw attention to recent commitments made by the South African Government, which, if kept, will contribute significantly to the eradication of inequality and elimination of poverty in South Africa. We call on the South African government to keep these commitments.

Juta Law caught up with Prof Nico Steytler to chat about his role as editor of The BRICS Partnership: Challenges and Prospects for Multilevel Government.

The role of corporations in the realisation of human rights in South Africa

On 23 November 2018, the Dullah Omar Institute hosted a roundtable discussion on the role of corporations in the realisation of human rights in South Africa. The roundtable discussion brought together different stakeholders including academic, social justice activists, representatives from civil society organisations and human rights lawyers involved in the business and human rights sectors.

DOI alumnus joins the institute as a visiting scholar

The Socioeconomic Rights Project is happy to announce that Dr. Ngcime Mbano has joined the institute as a visiting scholar from 19 November 2018 for a period of three weeks.

SALGA proudly announces the call for papers for the 2nd Research Colloquium which is now open. The colloquium will be hosted in partnership with the Dullah Omar Institute.

Statement by the Dullah Omar Institute, University of the Western Cape to the African Commission on Human and People's Rights at the 63rd Ordinary Session in Banjul, the Gambia ( 24 October - 13 November 2018).

DOI intervenes as Amicus Curiae in corporal punishment matter

The Dullah Omar Institute’s Children’s Rights Project has been admitted as an Amicus Curiae in a matter before the Constitutional Court concerning corporal punishment.

Dr Chigwata launches a book on provincial, local gov’t reform in Zimbabwe

On 16 October 2018, Dr Tinashe Chigwata, launched his book titled “Provincial and Local Government Reform in Zimbabwe: An analysis of the Law, Policy and Practice”. The launch took place at the Local Government Investment Conference which took place this week in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.

Auditor General highlights the impact of accountability failures at joint UWC-UCT seminar

The Auditor General, Mr Kimi Makwetu presented a keynote address to the second Joint DOI-UCT seminar on 12 of October 2018. The seminar theme was “Building a Capable Developmental State: Enforcing public finance law and ethics” .

Kristen Petersen attends UN Treaty Bodies Litigators’ Meeting

Kristen Petersen attended a UN Treaty Bodies Litigators’ Meeting in Geneva 2 - 4 October 2018, hosted by the Open Society Foundation – Justice Initiative (New York) and the Centre for Civil & Political Rights (Geneva).

Dullah Omar Institute co-hosts Seminar on ‘race’ and racism

On 26 September, the Dullah Omar Institute, University of the Western Cape partnered with ASRI and the District Six Museum to convene a seminar on ‘Race’ and racism in post-millennial post-apartheid South Africa: unmaking the past, making the future. The seminar was chaired by Jaap de Visser, the Director of the Dullah Omar Institute and featured influential researchers and thought leaders on ‘race’ and racism.

The newly trained activist monitors from CSOs working with Women and Democracy Initiative’s (WDI) Parliament Watch and Putting the ‘People’ in People’s Parliament projects entered Parliament and the Western Cape Provincial Parliament.

Judge Fayeeza Kathree-Setiloane has highlighted that inequality for women in the workplace, among other settings, is still prevalent in South Africa. Judge Kathree-Setiloane - the South Gauteng High Court judge who has presided over several high profile matters - has also warned that sexual harassment cases against women in the workplace are pervasive. There are judgments from the courts that have found that resignations as a result of sexual harassment does constitute unfair dismissal.

South Africa ratified the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) in January 2015. As required by the ICESCR, the South African government submitted its initial report to the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) in April 2017.

Together with an independent researcher and Lawyers for Human rights, Women and Democracy Initiative submitted 12 Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) applications to political parties, most provincial legislatures and Parliament.

SASCA 2018 unpacks Democracy, elections and constitutionalism in Africa

The Sixth Stellenbosch Annual Seminar on Constitutionalism in Africa (SASCA) 2018, jointly organised by the Institute for International and Comparative Law in Africa (ICLA) of the Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria and the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS) in partnership with the South African Research Chair (SARChI) on Multilevel Government, Law and Policy at Dullah Omar Institute, University of the Western Cape, and the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Rule of Law Programme for Sub-Saharan Africa, based in Kenya. from 4-6 September 2018. The theme for the seminar was Democracy, elections and constitutionalism in Africa.

Masters graduates commend Dullah Omar Institute

Three students who graduated with a Masters in Multilevel Government and Local Government yesterday, thanked the Dullah Omar Institute for giving them the opportunity to pursue the high level course.

Prof De Visser appointed as member of the advisory committee of the SA Law Reform Commission

The Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Hon Michael Masutha has appointed the Director of the Dullah Omar Institute, Prof Jaap de Visser, as a member of the advisory committee of the South African Law Reform Commission.

The challenges of hunger among students in higher education in South Africa

The issue of student hunger on university campuses has gained prominence in light of the #feesmustfall movement that has encapsulated South Africa tertiary institutions since 2015. While there are no tangible statistics that reflect the scope of the problem, the issue of students lacking basic needs, both food and shelter, has gained significant traction among university administrators.

The Zimbabwe Elections of July 2018: “A missed opportunity or the defining moment of the second republic”

The SARChI in Multilevel Government, Law and Policy organised a policy dialogue to interrogate Zimbabwe’s harmonised elections of July 2018. The policy dialogue which took place on 14 August 2018 at the School of Public Health (UWC) interrogated several questions relating to both the electoral process and outcome.

INVITATION: The SARChI Chair hosts Policy Dialogue on 2018 Zimbabwe Elections

Topic: The Zimbabwe Elections of July 2018 “A missed opportunity or the defining moment of the second republic”

08 August 2018 - The provincial legislatures oversee and make the law. But when it comes to sexual harassment they seem to think they do not need the law. The #NotOurLeaders campaign has written repeatedly to all nine provincial legislatures and our four largest political parties requesting copies of their sexual harassment policies. To date, we have only received copies of two sexual harassment policies.

Dullah Omar Institute welcomes Centre for Human Rights students

The Dullah Omar Institute is delighted to announce that, three LLM/MPhil in Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa, students from Centre for Human Rights, University of  Pretoria joined the institute. The students will be doing their internship at the institute until December.

Mandela Day: Dullah Omar Institute visits a crèche in Wallacedene

The Dullah Omar Institute visited Someleze Education Centre, a crèche in Wallacedene, as part of the Institute’s Mandela Day initiatives.

Seminar: “Voice and Accountability: What Councillors Say”

45% of councillors in South Africa fear violence, 25% are pressurised around tenders and 32% prefer ‘getting this done’ over consultation. These were some of the statistics discussed during the seminar on “Voice and Accountability: What Councillors Say”, hosted by the Dullah Omar Institute, in collaboration with the South African Local Government Association.

Colloquium unpacks sexual and reproductive health and rights in Africa

The Socio Economic Rights Project (SERP) in conjunction with the Kenya Legal and Ethical Issues Network on HIV and AIDS (KELIN), held a colloquium on the role of regional/sub-regional human rights bodies in advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in Africa, from the 28 – 29 June 2018.

The Women and Democracy Initiative (WDI) identifies as feminist, challenging systemic power, patriarchal norms and pervasive misogyny. We take an informed position to challenge the social system and dominant narratives that colluded with people accused of sexual misconduct and abuses of power and silence those who seek justice and protection.

DOI participates at the 62nd Ordinary Session of the African Commission

The Dullah Omar Institute (DOI), University of the Western Cape, participated in the 62nd Ordinary Session of the African Commission, held inNouakchott, Mauritania, from 25th April to 9th May 2018. DOI’s Statement to the Commission centred on the need to empower National Human Rights Institutions in African States with the enabling environment and resources to engender the protection of Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights in Africa.

Prof De Visser shares South African experience with Philippines Constitutional Review Committee

Prof Jaap de Visser was invited by the Forum of Federations to be part of an engagement, on 11 and 12 May 2018, between international experts and the Philippines Consultative Committee to review the Constitution of the Philippines.