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.
News
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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
Thursday, 31 October 2019, Cape Town - The Budget Justice Coalition (BJC) is concerned that the 2019 MTBPS proposes a deepening of austerity (cutting expenditure to address debt) in the country.
The Dullah Omar Institute held an in-house seminar on 'Local Government and the Changing Urban-Rural Interplay' on Tuesday 29 October 2019. It was facilitated by Prof Jaap de Visser.