News

Dullah Omar Institute Releases “The Regulation of Public Enterprises in Ethiopia” as part of its SOE series

Both Ethiopia and South Africa place state-owned enterprises (SOEs) at the centre of their state-led development effort. In both countries, there is a strong and dominant ruling party/alliance, whose influence stretches into virtually all sectors of society. However, Ethiopia has not experienced large scale corruption in its SOEs. In fact, its SOEs seem to be doing well with Ethiopian Airlines as a prominent and shining example.

Prof Durojaye delivered guest lecture on Non-communicable diseases to Law students at the University of Mauritius

On 13 August 2019, Prof Ebenezer Durojaye of the Socioeconomic Rights Project delivered a guest lecture at the Faculty of Law and Management, University of Mauritius. His presentation focused on ‘The relevance of a rights-based approach to non-communicable diseases in Africa’.

Dullah Omar Institute, Laws.Africa and OpenUp host a Municipal By-laws Workshop

On the 13th July 2019, Laws.Africa together with OpenUp and two students sourced from the Dullah Omar Institute (DOI) successfully hosted a one-day youth orientated By-laws Workshop to the Cape Agulhas Youth Council in Bredasdorp. In attendance were, among others, officials from the Cape Agulhas municipality including the Deputy Mayor.

In 2015, member states committed to delivering access to justice for all by 2030. But this year a report by the Pathfinders Task Force on Justice found that 5.1 billion people still do not have access to justice. How is this gap going to be bridged?

Cape Town, 11 July 2019 - The highly centralised power to appoint boards of South Africa’s state-owned enterprises (SOEs) needs to be dispersed. This is one of the recommendations made in a recent submission by the Dullah Omar Institute (DOI) to the Zondo Commission of Inquiry into allegations of State Capture.

Claim back ‘Proudly South African’ – Boesak

South Africans were reminded on Saturday not to think that the state of the ANC is the measure of where we are as a people. Struggle activist and theologian Dr Allan Boesak gave a memorial lecture at the District Six Museum in celebration of late minister of justice Dullah Omar and late Judge Essa Moosa’s contribution to the law in South Africa.

MEDIA STATEMENT: Poverty is not a crime!

Recent media reports highlighting the issuing of fines to homeless people based on laws or city by-laws which prohibits people from sleeping in any undesignated area or obstructing sidewalks sparked much outrage, with officials presenting arguments woefully justifying the existence and enforcement of these provisions with generalised statements.

The South African Research Chair in Multilevel Government, situated in the Dullah Omar Institute (DOI), offers high quality Masters and PhD programmes in multilevel government and local government. These programmes deal with question such as: how are multilevel states designed? how are powers delineated? how are the finances allocated to provincial and local governments? how does national government supervise subnational governments? They also deal with pertinent issues relating to the rule of law and good governance. Both programmes combine legal and constitutional studies with other disciplines, such as political science and public administration. Applications are open for both admission and financial support.

Parliament committee meetings must be open and accessible

All the parliament committee meetings must be conducted in an open and accessible manner and should be broadcast for the public on a platform such as YouTube and national television stations in order to ensure accessibility by all members of the public.

19 June 2019 - President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to deliver his first State of the Nation address of the 6th Parliament on Thursday under the theme “Following up on our Commitments: Making Your Future Work Better”.

Seminar interrogated SOE board appointments

The Dullah Omar Institute with the support of the Open Society Foundation for South Africa hosted a seminar aimed at interrogating SOE Board appointments at PRASA, SABC and Eskom on 11 June 2019.

Dullah Omar Institute Researchers take part in the Research and Innovation Staff Exchange Programme

Dr Tinashe Chigwata a senior researcher and Dr Michelle Maziwisa a postdoctoral research fellow at the Dullah Omar Institute have started their secondments in the European Union Research and Innovation Staff Exchange (RISE) programme. The programme promotes cross-border and cross-sector collaboration through sharing knowledge and ideas from research to market and vice versa within Europe and beyond.

We the undersigned civil society organisations are deeply disturbed by the recent threats and intimidation directed by the EFF, South Africa’s third largest political party, against civil society groups partners such as the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation (AKF), a fellow civil society organisation. In a similar vein the EFF party leadership has attacked journalists writing about financial scandals which implicate the EFF leadership instead of focusing on the substance of investigations by the journalists.

Remand detention is disproportionate and increasing in the Western Cape, such that over five years, 10 percent of adult men can be expected to be remanded. The extent of remand detention in the Western Cape is likely to have a severe financial impact on especially poorer communities.

Prof Dee Smythe joins DOI Advisory Board

The Institute is proud to announce that Prof Dee Smythe, Professor of Public Law the University of Cape Town, is joining its Advisory Board.

Feminist Analysis of ANC, EFF and DA Manifestos - In Brief

How do top three parties deal with womxn? Not just on GBV and representation - On all areas of life? GBV is an issue of the day – what about land and housing and jobs?

2 May 2019 - New research based on a feminist analysis of party manifestos show none of the top three political parties’ manifestos will make a real difference in the lived realities of womxn.

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.

The March 2019 Research Brief shows that Municipalities owe R 9 billion to Water Boards for bulk water services, amounting to 46% of total revenue of Water Boards.

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.

The 4th Industrial Revolution is transforming society at every level. Dullah Omar Institute's Applied Constitutional Studies Laboratory together with the Law Faculty at the University of the Western Cape held a seminar on the 15th of February to examine the impact on law and government in the digital age.

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.