ESR Review

This is the first issue of the ESR Review in 2015. For the realisation of socio-economic rights, 2015 began on a high note with South Africa’s long-awaited ratification of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). This issue includes an article by Usang Maria Assim that summarises South Africa’s initial report to the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC), reviewing South Africa’s progress towards the realisation of children’s socio-economic rights. Gladys Mirugi-Mukundi examines the recent decision of the Supreme Court of Appeal in City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality vs Hlophe, which found that the fundamental constitutional value of accountability requires municipal officials to see to it that municipalities under their control obey court orders.

This second issue of the 2014 ESR Review includes two features on the enjoyment of socio-economic rights in Nigeria and South Africa. It also examines a recent decision of the South African Constitutional Court, in which it found that an interim order could as well amount to an eviction order and may interfere with the constitutional right to housing.

This first issue of the 2014 ESR Review focusses on the potential of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights as a tool for poverty reduction in South Africa. It also looks at Developing Cape Town’s right to housing in the rental sector. There are also summaries of recent developments on socio-economic rights across the world.