News

Parliament Watch, today released a Scorecard reflecting selected portfolio committees in the National Assembly’s poor to average performance. The Scorecard based on committee performance in 2018 also includes selected committees in the Eastern Cape Legislature. It focused on the Portfolio Committees on Social Development, Communications, and Police and how they handled three politically hot issues. These were the social grants crisis in the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA), the SABC-crisis and the issues discriminatory police resource allocation.

New research to help fix the fail in SOE governance laws

South Africans are no stranger to loadshedding and increasing train passenger woes that can be linked to the capture of strategic State-owned Enterprises (SOEs) like Eskom and the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa). These institutions over the years turned into places where it was a free for all to steal money and board appointments became proxies for the creation of opportunities for looting. Given the prevailing ills of state capture there is a need for greater transparency and quality in these board appointments.

Round-table pays attention to women’s representation during elections

The Socio-Economic Rights Project hosted a roundtable discussion on elections and service delivery on 2 April 2019 at the University of the Western Cape. This roundtable provided an opportunity to for social justice activists, advocates, academics, community-based organisations, non-governmental organisations, policy makers and stakeholders to enter into a meaningful engagement centred on elections and service delivery.

Seminar unpacks human rights in South Africa and Argentina

On 29 March 2019, the Dullah Omar Institute in collaboration with the Embassy of Argentina and the Department of Arts and Culture of South Africa hosted a seminar on Seminar human rights in South Africa and Argentina focusing on the experiences of the Robben island Prison and the ESMA Memory Site. This seminar was part of a wider cooperation agenda between memory sites which were established in countries in which widespread human rights violations were experienced, such as Robben Island Museum and ESMA Memory Site (Escuela de Mecánica de la Armada).

Poverty has a Female Face - Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma

The Minister in the Presidency, Hon Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) cannot be attained without paying attention to women’s rights because women are the hardest hit by poverty. She said this when giving the keynote address to participants at the at a regional workshop to develop strategies to ensuring the visibility and active participation of civil society groups from Africa during the High Level Political Forum (HLPF) in New York, in July 2019.

South Africa makes great strides towards meeting SDG16

Before 1994, South African institutions met none of the criteria for SDG 16. However, since the dawn of democracy, various institutions have been reconstituted to ensure they function in line with the constitution. This is according to the Deputy Minister of Justice and Correctional Services in South Africa, Hon John Jeffery, when giving a keynote address at a regional workshop to develop strategies to ensuring the visibility and active participation of civil society groups from Africa during the High Level Political Forum (HLPF) in New York, in July 2019. The workshop is currently holding at the Protea Hotel, Parktonian, Johannesburg until the 29th of March 2019.

Children’s Rights Project attends the 33rd ACERWC Session

The Children’s Rights Project attended the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child 33rd statutory Ordinary Session, at the African Union Commission in Addis Ababa from 18 till 28 March, 2019.

Book unpacks transformation of local government in South Africa

The Journey to Transform Local Government edited by Dr Tinashe Chigwata, Prof Jaap De Visser, Lungelwa Kaywood was launched at the 2nd SALGA Research Colloquium, which took place on 11-12 March 2019 at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.

Workshop to focus on access to Justice in Africa and Asia

The Socio-Economic Rights Project at the Dullah Omar Institute, University of the Western Cape in conjunction in partnership with the African Centre of Excellence for Access to Justice is convening a three-day workshop on Africa and Asia Civil society on Access to Justice. The workshop, which will take place from 27-29 March 2019, at the Protea Hotel Parktonian-Johannesburg, will focus on the role of civil society groups from Africa and Asia in effectively participating in the process leading to the High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Developments Goals (SDGs), which will take place in July in New York.

SERP continues to empower community leaders with workshops

The Socio-Economic Rights project hosted a Community Engagement Workshop on 6 and 7 March 2019. The workshop offered a platform for various community leaders and community activists with different backgrounds to discuss, network and share their knowledge on human rights and social justice in South Africa.

Unpacking Prof Roux’s Book - The Politico-Legal Dynamics of Judicial Review: a Comparative Analysis

On 21 February 2019, the SARChI in Multilevel Government, Law and Policy invite Prof Thenius Roux to discuss his recently published book, The Politico-Legal Dynamics of Judicial Review: a Comparative Analysis.

Workshop reviews the African Children’s Charter Project

The Children’s Rights Project attended a three-day project review and planning workshop by African Children’s Charter Project (ACCPII) between 18th and 20th February 2019 in Banjul, The Gambia.

Seminar looks at paying for municipal services, infrastructure in metropolitan areas

The SARChI Chair in Multilevel Government Policy at the Dullah Omar Institute, and SALGA Western Cape hosted a to a Policy Dialogue with Dr Enid Slack on 5 February 2019 in Cape Town. The event focused on paying for municipal services and infrastructure in metropolitan areas.

Expert shares findings of Commission of Inquiry into Land in Uganda

Yesterday, the SARChI Chair in Multilevel Government, Law & Policy hosted a Policy Dialogue featuring, Dr Douglas Singiza, who shared the reflections of 18 months of investigation of the Commission of Inquiry into Land in Uganda.

Forum focuses on Accountability of the Parliament Administration

The Dullah Omar Institute's Women and Democracy Initiative, Institute for Justice and Reconciliation and Public Service Accountability Monitor convened a Forum on Accountability of the Parliament Administration [FAPA] for civil society and the media on 22 January in Cape Town. The forum was to develop a civil society approach to Parliament Administration Accountability.

SERP unpacks the link between elections and service delivery for Community leaders

On 20 and 21 February 2019, the Socio-Economic Rights project hosted a Community Leaders Workshop. Given the important roles community leaders play in facilitating and realising access to justice for vulnerable and marginalised groups in society, the aim of this workshop was to empower community leaders by equipping them with information on the link between elections and service delivery.

The Institute for Justice and Reconciliation [IJR], the Dullah Omar Institute [DOI], the Public Service Accountability Monitor [PSAM], and a growing number of civil society organisations have noted with serious concern the recent Protest Suicide of Lennox Mzuhleli Garane, Section Manager: Multilateral Relations in International Relations and Protocol Division of Parliament of the Republic of South Africa. Mr. Garane died by Protest Suicide in his office on the Parliament Precinct on 14 September 2018. We wish to extend our sincere condolences to the Garane family for their tragic loss.

The Dullah Omar Institute for Constitutional Law, Governance and Human Rights at the Faculty of Law, University of Western Cape is pleased to announce a one-year fulltime post-doctoral fellowship for 2019. The post-doctoral fellow will be based at the Children’s Rights Project. The fellow will be tasked with conducting research in areas related to children’s rights, especially with a focus on issues pertaining to the African Union. The fellow will also be expected to produce at least three publications.

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).