Due to the spike in the spread of Corona Virus across the continent in the last couple of weeks, various measures have been adopted by various countries in order to control the spread of the disease. Some of these measures include lockdowns, the closure of borders, cancellation of flights and denial of visas and entry for nationals of affected countries.
The 2020 budget proposals risk further harm to the economy by slashing funding for socioeconomic development.
In the State of the Nation Address (SONA), President Ramaphosa emphasised the value of social compacts, yet he also announced that there will be reductions in expenditure. Budget Justice Coalition (BJC) worries that the President Ramaphosa’s notion of a social compact in the 2020 State of the Nation Address (SONA) will mean that low-income households and vulnerable groups will have to disproportionately shoulder the costs of “turning this economy around”. The BJC is convinced that the current spending trajectory does not prioritise the demands of a developmental state nor will it result in building much-needed state capacity.
INCEPTION MEETING ON RESEARCH ON COMMUNITY PARALEGALS IN AFRICA
The Dullah Omar Institute at the University of the Western Cape in partnership with the African Centre of Excellence for Access to Justice held a two-day inception meeting concerning Research on Community Based Paralegals in Africa. This took place at the Onomo Hotel, Kigali, Rwanda from 21-22 February 2020.
The Dullah Omar Institute of the University of the Western Cape in conjunction with the African Centre of Excellence for Access to Justice will hold an inception meeting concerning Research on Community Based Paralegals in Africa. This will take place at Onomo Hotel, Kigali, Rwanda from 21-22 February 2020.
When President Cyril Ramaphosa delivers his State of the Nation Address (SONA) this evening, many South Africans would want to hear what plans are in place to bring them closer to a new dawn where Eskom and other SOEs function optimally.
DOI releases three reports on SOE Board appointments and dismissals.
African School on Decentralisation 2020: Call for Applications
The South African Research Chair in Multilevel Government, Law and Development at the Dullah Omar Institute of the University of the Western Cape, and the Centre for Federalism and Governance Studies of Addis Ababa University are delighted to announce the inaugural African School on Decentralisation.
The following articles/publications are available in this issue:
Measuring transparency, public participation and oversight in the budget processes of South Africa’s metropolitan municipalities
The Metro Open Budget Survey (Metro OBS) is modelled on the global Open Budget Survey (OBS) initiated by the International Budget Partnership in 2006. The OBS is an independent, comparative assessment of budget accountability: transparency, oversight, and public participation.
Dullah Omar Institute Makes a Submission to Parliament on the NHI Bill
On Friday, 29 November 2019, the Dullah Omar Institute made a submission to the Portfolio Committee on Health on the National Health Insurance Bill. Although the Institute supports the notion of universal health coverage that is aimed at providing South African’s with access to needed health care that is of sufficient quality , our submission highlights concerns about transparency and accountability to members of the public in the governance structures of the NHI Fund.
Don’t let ‘We serve the People’ just be rhetoric
Activists and scholars this week reminded the Western Cape Provincial Parliament (WCPP), during a roundtable discussion on oversight and public participation, that they will turn up the heat so that legislatures can strengthen its oversight muscle. Too often it is National Parliament that comes under scrutiny whilst provincial legislatures escape the public eye.