The 5th Edition of the African School on Decentralisation (ASD), themed Decentralisation and Finances, hosted by the Dullah Omar Institute [South African Research Chair in Multilevel Government] at the University of the Western Cape and the Centre of Federalism and Governance Studies at Addis Ababa University, brought together 24 dynamic participants from 10 vibrant African countries for an unforgettable experience from 13–25 October 2025.
The Dullah Omar Institute’s Prof Jaap de Visser has played a key role in supporting the establishment of the Government of National Unity Clearing House Mechanism (GNU Clearing House) through expert legal-governance input and refinement of its operational framework.
How should municipalities in South Africa be governed, and how are they financed? What are their powers and what are their service delivery obligations? How do national and provincial governments relate to them? How do municipalities procure goods and services and what is the legal framework for managing land use? And how does South Africa’s local government system compare with systems elsewhere in Africa?
"The University of the Western Cape (UWC) proudly acknowledges the contribution of Professor Benyam Dawit Mezmur – a renowned scholar in the Dullah Omar Institute (DOI) in the Faculty of Law – to the Vatican’s global safeguarding efforts against child sexual abuse." - UWC
Prof Jaap de Visser, South African Research Chair in Multilevel Government, Law and Development at the Dullah Omar Institute, University of the Western Cape, is one of LGIU’s top 25 thinkers in local government.
![HAPPENING TODAY: 15th Dullah Omar Memorial Lecture [21 October 2025]](https://dullahomarinstitute.org.za/news/happening-today-15th-dullah-omar-memorial-lecture-21-october-2025/@@images/d4006544-13d7-47c3-9396-ae9eff6e3349.jpeg "HAPPENING TODAY: 15th Dullah Omar Memorial Lecture [21 October 2025]")
The Dullah Omar Institute and the Faculty of Law at the University of the Western Cape, in collaboration with the Omar Family, are honoured to present the 15th Dullah Omar Memorial Lecture.
![[Call for Applications] PG Dip in Public Law focusing on Criminal Justice, Human Rights and Detention - Applications for the 2026 academic year are OPEN!](https://dullahomarinstitute.org.za/news/call-for-applications-pg-dip-in-public-law-focusing-on-criminal-justice-human-rights-and-detention-applications-for-the-2026-academic-year-are-open/@@images/a768a29e-e41b-4ca9-ad3f-00cc14a11016.png "[Call for Applications] PG Dip in Public Law focusing on Criminal Justice, Human Rights and Detention - Applications for the 2026 academic year are OPEN!")
Want to be at the cutting edge of justice and human rights in Africa? This course opens up vital debates on how power is exercised through detention and criminal justice - and how law can be used to challenge abuse, inequality, and corruption.
The following articles are available in this issue:
From groundbreaking research and landmark lectures to advancing human rights, local governance, and socio-economic justice – 2024 was a year of impact and innovation.
Prof Jaap de Visser, South African Research Chair in Multilevel Government, Law and Development at the Dullah Omar Institute, the University of the Western Cape, unpacks a bold proposal for a participatory budget ballot – letting voters choose service priorities like water, clinics & roads. Could it deepen local democracy?
The Dullah Omar Institute and the Faculty of Law at the University of the Western Cape, in collaboration with the Omar Family, are pleased to announce the 15th Dullah Omar Memorial Lecture, an event that celebrates the life and legacy of the late Dullah Omar, a champion of human rights and democracy in South Africa.
The following articles are available in this issue:
![[Call for Applications] LLM/MPhil in Multilevel Government & Local Government - 2026 intake](https://dullahomarinstitute.org.za/news/call-for-applications-llm-mphil-in-multilevel-government-local-government-2026-intake/@@images/c64d38ac-53cc-41ef-b40b-632aa2393863.jpeg "[Call for Applications] LLM/MPhil in Multilevel Government & Local Government - 2026 intake")
This one-year Masters Course equips students to understand how South African provinces and local government work, how the multilevel system of government compares to other countries on the continent and on what global theories and practices it is based.
Attention municipal practitioners and scholars across Africa: The African School on Decentralisation has extended its application deadline to 13 June 2025.
The Socio-Economic Rights Project at the Dullah Omar Institute hosted a webinar to raise awareness and foster dialogue on the pressing issue of obstetric violence (OV) in Africa. Drawing from extensive research and cross-country experiences, the event aimed to unpack the definitions, manifestations, and structural drivers of OV, situate it within applicable human rights frameworks, and reflect on the use of litigation as a strategy for accountability and change. The webinar also sought to generate recommendations for advancing respectful maternity care and strengthening legal and institutional responses across the continent.
We are proud to announce that Professor Jaap de Visser, a leading authority on multilevel government and constitutional law, has been appointed as a Non-Resident Fellow at the Forum of Federations.
The following articles are available in this issue:
![[Call for Applications] Postgraduate Diploma in Public Law focusing on Local Government](https://dullahomarinstitute.org.za/news/call-for-applications-postgraduate-diploma-in-public-law-focusing-on-local-government-1/@@images/5eb45337-63df-4f44-8469-f16292962160.png "[Call for Applications] Postgraduate Diploma in Public Law focusing on Local Government")
Shape the Future of Local Government!
The theme for the Fifth African School on Decentralisation (ASD) is ‘Decentralisation and Finances’. The 2025 ASD will focus on how decentralisation governance in Africa is financed, and on the systems and rules for the prudent use of public finances at decentralised level.
The following articles are available in this issue:
We are proud to announce that Professor Jaap de Visser has been selected as one of the Top 25 Thinkers in Local Government by the LGIU (Local Government Information Unit).
The Postgraduate Diploma (PG Dip) is a unique programme, aimed at practitioners. It will equip you with knowledge of the South African local government system, and with skills to apply this knowledge in practice.
The following articles are available in this issue:
![[Call for Applications] Paralegals Online Course (11-29 November 2024)](https://dullahomarinstitute.org.za/news/call-for-applications-paralegals-online-course-11-29-november-2024/@@images/ee039cd8-302d-4620-9588-8de039e94d2a.png "[Call for Applications] Paralegals Online Course (11-29 November 2024)")
Registration for the Paralegals Online Course from 11 to 29 November 2024
![ISLA's side events at the 81st Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) [13 - 23 October 2024]](https://dullahomarinstitute.org.za/news/islas-side-events-at-the-81st-ordinary-session-of-the-african-commission-on-human-and-peoples2019-rights-achpr-13-23-october-2024/@@images/8339846d-b9ba-4011-9b2f-b144698da16c.jpeg "ISLA's side events at the 81st Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) [13 - 23 October 2024]")
Join us at our partner, the Initiative for Strategic Litigation in Africa (ISLA), for their side events during the 81st Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR).
The following articles are available in this issue:
This one-year Masters Course equips students to understand how South African provinces and local government work, how the multilevel system of government compares to other countries on the continent and on what global theories and practices it is based.
"The University of the Western Cape (UWC) is an implementing partner of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Programme. Initiated in 2012, the Programme is a global initiative designed to develop the next generation of transformative leaders by enabling highly talented, service-oriented young people, primarily young Africans, to pursue their higher education and cultivate their leadership potential."
The Socio-Economic Rights Project (SERP) at the Dullah Omar Institute (DOI), University of the Western Cape invites contributions for the ESR Review, a quarterly publication aimed at informing and educating politicians, policymakers, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), academics, and legal practitioners about key developments in socio-economic rights at both national and international levels.
Socio-Economic Rights Project (SERP) at the Dullah Omar Institute (DOI), University of the Western Cape invites contributions for the ESR Review, a quarterly publication aimed at informing and educating politicians, policymakers, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), academics, and legal practitioners about key developments in socioeconomic rights at both national and international levels.
