![[Call for Submissions] ESR Review Special Issue: Preventing non-communicable diseases in Africa: Promoting healthy diets through law and policy](https://dullahomarinstitute.org.za/news/call-for-submissions-esr-review-special-issue-preventing-non-communicable-diseases-in-africa-promoting-healthy-diets-through-law-and-policy/@@images/9243afc8-eef5-4e03-b53a-3d9574dceff0.jpeg "[Call for Submissions] ESR Review Special Issue: Preventing non-communicable diseases in Africa: Promoting healthy diets through law and policy")
The Socio-Economic Rights Project (SERP) at the Dullah Omar Institute (DOI), University of the Western Cape, invites legal scholars, public health experts, policymakers, and civil society advocates to contribute to a special 2026 issue of the Economic and Social Rights Review in Africa (ESR Review).
![[Call for Submissions] ESR Review Special Issue: Community-Based Paralegals in Africa: Access to Justice, Challenges and Lessons](https://dullahomarinstitute.org.za/news/call-for-submissions-esr-review-special-issue-community-based-paralegals-in-africa-access-to-justice-challenges-and-lessons/@@images/babc50bb-65ec-4fa6-8ac0-e8f35b8b843c.jpeg "[Call for Submissions] ESR Review Special Issue: Community-Based Paralegals in Africa: Access to Justice, Challenges and Lessons")
The Socio-Economic Rights Project (SERP) at the Dullah Omar Institute invites legal scholars, practitioners, community activists, and researchers to submit written contributions for an upcoming Special Issue of the ESR Review.
Reports today indicate that Advocate Andrea Johnson, the Investigating Director of the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC), has written to the National Director of Public Prosecutions, Advocate Andy Mothibi, and to President Cyril Ramaphosa, requesting an immediate release from office.
Last chance to apply for the 2027 LL.M/M.Phil & LLD/PhD in Multilevel Government & Local Government at the Dullah Omar Institute (UWC)!
Applications are closing fast for the LL.M/M.Phil & LLD/PhD in Multilevel Government & Local Government at the Dullah Omar Institute, University of the Western Cape.
The following articles are available in this issue:
The sixth African School on Decentralisation (ASD 2026) is pleased to announce that the application deadline has been extended to Friday, 19 June 2026 for applicants from:
On 14 May 2026, the Dullah Omar Institute submitted comments on the Draft Protected Disclosures Bill, 2026 to the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development.
![[Special Issue on the White Paper on Local Government] Local Government Bulletin - Volume 21, Issue 2, May 2026](https://dullahomarinstitute.org.za/news/special-issue-on-the-white-paper-on-local-government-local-government-bulletin-volume-21-issue-2-may-2026/@@images/ea9a9faf-5e55-4bde-90e9-4581dde9100b.jpeg "[Special Issue on the White Paper on Local Government] Local Government Bulletin - Volume 21, Issue 2, May 2026")
The following articles are available in this issue:
Are you ready to master the complexities of multilevel government? The Dullah Omar Institute (DOI) at UWC is now accepting applications for our prestigious 2027 postgraduate programmes.
Are you a local government practitioner, legal professional, or civil servant looking to master the complexities of municipal governance?
Today, the National Prosecuting Authority presented its Annual Performance Plan to the Justice Committee of Parliament.
The Dullah Omar Institute is delighted to host Prof. Carmen Navarro from the Autonomous University of Madrid for a stimulating week of research and collaboration.
On 28 March 2026, the Dullah Omar Institute (DOI) at the University of the Western Cape launched its Factsheets aimed at boosting civil society participation in local government.
The following articles are available in this issue:
The Dullah Omar Institute (DOI) at the University of the Western Cape recently concluded a high-impact initiative designed to transform community leaders into effective local government watchdogs.
Applications are now open for the 2026 African School on Decentralisation (ASD), a two-week accredited programme taking place from 8 to 21 November 2026.
![[Call for Applications] Post-doctoral Research Fellowship: Children's Rights Project](https://dullahomarinstitute.org.za/news/call-for-applications-post-doctoral-research-fellowship-dullah-omar-institute-childrens-rights-project/@@images/71cf22ab-e2c2-4391-a58f-70ea373a4428.jpeg "[Call for Applications] Post-doctoral Research Fellowship: Children's Rights Project")
The Dullah Omar Institute at the University of the Western Cape is inviting applications for a one-year, full-time Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship for 2026. The successful candidate will join the Children’s Rights Project.
Jetske Idema has joined the Multilevel Government Project of the Dullah Omar Institute (DOI) as a research intern until June 2026.
On 9 December 2025, the Children’s Rights Project hosted a webinar to explore the findings of a new study titled 'Toiling for Survival: Children in the Urban Informal Sector in Africa.'
The following articles are available in this issue:
The Dullah Omar Institute for Constitutional Law, Governance and Human Rights at the Faculty of Law, University of the Western Cape, was proud to deliver a statement at the 46th Ordinary Session of the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC)!
The Dullah Omar Institute (Univ of the W-Cape) is offering a FREE short training programme for community organisations on how to work more effectively with your municipality.
![Press Release: From Criminalisation to Care Self-Managed Abortion in Africa [11 November 2025]](https://dullahomarinstitute.org.za/news/press-release-from-criminalisation-to-care-self-managed-abortion-in-africa-11-november-2025/@@images/e519e5e6-d300-47d2-b4be-a981340da4ee.jpeg "Press Release: From Criminalisation to Care Self-Managed Abortion in Africa [11 November 2025]")
On 11 November 2025, the Dullah Omar Institute, in collaboration with the Centre for Human Rights at the University of Pretoria, hosted a webinar titled From Criminalisation to Care: Self-Managed Abortion in Africa.
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.
![Press Release: Impact of Public Health Emergencies on SRHR Services in Africa [30 October 2025]](https://dullahomarinstitute.org.za/news/press-release-impact-of-public-health-emergencies-on-srhr-services-in-africa-30-october-2025/@@images/bba15854-48ca-4572-9349-d2b1886106ef.jpeg "Press Release: Impact of Public Health Emergencies on SRHR Services in Africa [30 October 2025]")
On 30 October 2025, the Socio-Economic Rights Project at the Dullah Omar Institute, in collaboration with the Centre for Human Rights at the University of Pretoria, hosted a webinar on the impact of public health emergencies on sexual and reproductive health and rights services in Africa.
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.
