The UN Human Rights Committee published its concluding observations following South Africa's review in March 2016. Key points raised in the Alternate Report coordinated by CSPRI were among the concluding observations.
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The book Kenya-South Africa Dialogue on Devolution, edited by Professors Nico Steytler and Yash Pal Ghai, was launched on 23 March 2016 at the Katiba Institute, Nairobi, Kenya. The 500 page volume brought together nine South African authors with nine Kenyan counterparts to examine the various aspect of devolution in both countries. The value of the publication lies in how the experience of 20 years of devolution in South Africa can assist in the development of devolution in Kenya, seen in the light that the Kenyan Constitution liberally borrowed from the South African Constitution.
Professor Nico Steytler, the SARChI Chair in Multi-level Government, Law and Policy, was one of the key experts, presenting a 4 day training workshop, organised by the Ministry of Interior and Federal Affairs of the Federal Government of Somalia and the Forum of Federations, in Nairobi, Kenya, 21 to 24 March 2016.
National Prosecuting Authority says there are more resolutions via the alternative dispute resolution mechanism
Parliament should urgently address the crisis in inclusive education affecting children with disabilities, Inclusive Education South Africa, SECTION27, Human Rights Watch and the Dullah Omar Institute, University of the Western Cape said today. The groups were responding to President Jacob Zuma’s statement at the national Disability Rights Summit on March 10, 2016, and statements by the Department of Basic Education on March 8.
In 1994, South Africa emerged as a constitutional democracy full of promise for a better life for all South Africans. A system of developmental local government was established which is ‘intended to have a major impact on the daily lives’ of South Africans. Both men and women have an equal responsibility and thus should be given equal opportunities to ‘find sustainable ways to meet their social, economic and material needs and improve the quality of their lives’ [White Paper on Local Government].
On 24 February, Prof Jaap de Visser delivered a presentation to a group of 70 academics, civil society representatives and government officials in Kathmandu, Nepal. The meeting was convened by the Forum of Federations in support of the process to implement the new Constitution of Nepal, which envisages a federal structure and constitutionally recognised local government. Prof De Visser discussed key provisions of the Constitution of Nepal and highlighted the experience of South Africa and other African countries.
This issue of the ESR Review includes three feature articles that discuss various areas of socio-economic rights. Enoch MacDonnell Chilemba analyses various incidents of evictions that took place in South Africa in 2014. There were also court challenges, applications and decisions relating to evictions. The article highlights issues relating to the legality and frequency of evictions.
Dr. Usang Maria Assim, a senior researcher in the Dullah Omar Institute’s Children’s Rights Project, is taking part in the review and planning workshop of the African Children’s Charter Project (ACCP) from 14 to 20 February 2016 in Accra Ghana. The workshop is aimed at reviewing the progress of the ACCP since the start of a two year bridging period in 2015 and planning for the second year (2016) of the bridging period.
Prof Jaap de Visser is taking part in a programme to raise awareness and conduct citizen education around federalism in Nepal. In 2015, Nepal adopted a Constitution creates national, provincial and local levels of government. This was done to accommodate the multitude of ethnicities, languages, religions and cultures in Nepal and to facilitate more responsive government. Nepal is now faced with the mammoth task of implementing this new Constitution.
The Dullah Omar Institute doctoral candidate, Shehaam Johnstone participated in the 1st Annual Emerging Legal Scholarship Conference, where she presented a paper investigating how to hold local government accountable in terms of its constitutional competencies towards realising the right to food. The conference was hosted by the Faculty of Law within the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University on 4 and 5 February 2016. The theme of the conference, “Legal challenges for a new generation”.
Dr Zemelak Ayitenew Ayele, a former post-doctoral fellow, at the Dullah Omar Institute recently published an opinion article on an Ethiopian newspaper, focusing on public open spaces and our rights to our cities. He argues that the creation of industrial, commercial, or residential areas in and of itself is not problematic. It goes without saying that we need economic development and that our cities have immense contribution to make in this respect, he points out.