In this seminar, Professor Jaap de Visser presented his latest work on the role of local government in securing the right to food. This work is published in the book Land Issues for Urban Governance in Sub-Saharan Africa. Increasing access to food is equally important, so this contribution adopts a 'food systems approach'.
Videos
The Dullah Omar Institute recently made an oral submission to the Portfolio Committee on Health in Parliament based on a written submission made in November 2019. Our oral submission focused on three main themes, namely:
In 2020, we felt the effects of weak political leadership while at the same time a pandemic caused greater inequality in our country. In response, activists came together to deliver services to those who needed it most, and when it comes to holding our elected representatives to account, we learnt that we need to exercise the power we have to protect and defend our democracy. What do you do if you’re concerned about a difficult situation in your community? Who should you approach? We take you through what our law-making bodies (or legislatures) do and the important role they play in our democracy. We’ll also help you understand how you as an activist or ordinary citizen can access your legislatures and why you should do so regularly.
On 29 March 2021, the Dullah Omar Institute and the South African Embassy in France hosted a webinar under the title: Webinar to commemorate the life of Dulcie September.
On 26 March 2021, ACJR hosted a webinar under the title: Reviewing the 2020 lockdown: Seeking a balance of rights. The panel comprised Prof Nico Steytler, Dr Leandri Hattingh, Dr Jean Redpath and Prof Lukas Muntingh. The webinar was chaired by Janelle Mangwanda.
On 24 March 2021, the Dullah Omar Institute and the Hanns Seidel Foundation hosted a webinar under the title: The Financial Impact of Covid-19 on Local and District Municipalities. The panel comprised Prof Tania Ajam (Professor in Public Policy, Economics and Finance at the Stellenbosch School of Public Leadership) and Dr Mkhululi Ncube (Programme Manager of the Local Government Unit at the Financial and Fiscal Commission). The webinar was chaired by Prof Jaap de Visser.
On 18 March 2021, the Socio-Economic Rights Project (SERP) at the Dullah Omar Institute hosted a webinar under the title: The Link Between Access to Safe and Nutritious Food and Non-Communicable Diseases in South Africa. This is the first webinar in a two-part series on ‘Human Rights and Non-Communicable Diseases in South Africa’. The panel comprised Prof Rina Swart (Senior Researcher, Registered Dietician, Registered Nutritionist with HPCSA, University of the Western Cape), Dr Jane Battersby (Senior Researcher, African Centre for Cities, University of Cape Town) and Dr Vicki Pinkney-Atkinson (Director of South African Non-Communicable Diseases Alliance). The webinar was chaired by Ms Paula Knipe.
On 16 March 2021, the Applied Constitutional Study Laboratory (ACSL) and the Socio-Economic Rights Project (SERP) at the Dullah Omar Institute hosted a webinar under the title: Covid-19 Vaccines and Human Rights Challenges. The panel comprised Dr Tlaleng Mofokeng (UN Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health), Alicia Yamin (Lecturer at Harvard Law School and Senior Fellow at the Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology and Bioethics) and Prof Francois Venter (Divisional Head of Ezintsha at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg). The webinar was chaired by Ms Gladys Mirugi-Mukundi.
On 12 March 2021, the Dullah Omar Institute and the Hanns Seidel Foundation hosted a webinar under the title: Coalitions in Local Government. The panel comprised Prof Jaap de Visser (Director of the Dullah Omar Institute), Mr. Wayne Sussman (elections analyst), Ms. Jennica Beukes (Doctoral researcher, Dullah Omar Institute) and Mr. James Selfe (Member of Parliament, Head of Governance Unit, Democratic Alliance). The webinar was chaired by Dr. Michelle Maziwisa.
On 26 January 2021, the Socio-Economic Rights Project hosted a webinar on the 'Implementation of socio-economic rights at the national level' as part of the ICESCR Campaign. The panel comprised Prof Sandy Liebenberg (University of Stellenbosch), Yuri Ramkissoon (South African Human Rights Commission), Lynette Maart (Black Sash) and Bruce Porter (Social Rights Advocacy Centre, Canada). The webinar was chaired by Gladys Mirugi-Mukundi.
On 30 October 2020, the Dullah Omar Institute and the South African Local Government Association hosted a webinar under the title: Municipal governance laws - new rules, new direction? We debated changes suggested to the Municipal Structures Act and the Municipal Systems Act. They are aimed at improving municipal governance, both at political and administrative levels, but will they make a difference? The panel comprised Cllr Nkadimeng (President of SALGA), Hon Muthambi (Chair Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance), Dr Louis Scheepers (Acting MM of Knysna) and DOI's Prof Jaap de Visser. The discussion, attended by more than 80 participants, was lively and covered themes such as professionalisation, the role of Municipal Public Accounts Committees, the role of provinces in the appointment of senior managers, a possible role for professional associations and the true value of local government autonomy. The webinar was chaired by Prof Nico Steytler.
On 13 October 2020, the Faculty of Law and the Dullah Omar Institute hosted former Deputy Chief Justice Moseneke for a discussion of his book All Rise. It was an intergenerational discussion between esteemed judges and young scholars. The former DCJ, together with Judge Vincent Saldanha (Cape High Court) went into conversation with Ms Lisa Draga (Law Faculty) and Ms Thabile Chonco (DOI/Law Faculty). It was a riveting discussion about topics as varied as black letter law, the promise of the Constitution, decolonising law, the Hlope matter, judicial regret and Gucci in the Constitutional Court!