The Dullah Omar Institute has noted with great sadness the passing of Dr Skweyiya, one of the founding members of the Institute (formerly the Community Law Centre). Dr Skweyiya fully represented the unwavering commitment to justice and the protection of the marginalised that characterised the generation of leaders that helped usher in democracy and went on to serve South Africa with great distinction.
The DOI organised an Expert and Activist Conference. The conference comprised 8 presentations divided into three sessions. Session one, dealt with the legal process to achieve law reform, where we are now, and are we implementing the most suitable economic models to achieve real gains for land claimants.
The meeting with the Deeds Office included the participation of the Acting Chief Registrar of Deeds Ms M Ntuli who facilitated an interactive engagement between the Ugandan delegation and the DRDLR officials. In addition, a presentation was rendered by Mr Theo Bester which set a sound foundation for the discussion, who explained the mandate of the Deeds Office.
The meeting with the Land Claims Commission (LCC) created a platform for the Land Inquiry to learn key lessons that could be applied to the Ugandan Land Fund.
An informal dialogue session was hosted by Prof Serene Coetzee at the Centre for Geo-info Sciences.
The meeting with Prof Berrisford, was to provide a platform to the Ugandan delegation on ideas for urban land law reform. The discussion highlighted the significance in understanding the urban land market and identifying problems to be tackled for effective urban land reform.
Problems in local government must be investigated, this is necessary because a large portion of South Africa and its people are feeling and living the consequences of poor governance. This is according to Prof Nico Steytler, SARChI Chair in Multlevel Government, Law and Policy at the Dullah Omar Institute when delivering a keynote address at the SALGA Research Colloquium currently taking place at the Cape Sun Hotel from 28-29 March 2018.
The afternoon engagement with the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) in Limpopo, was chaired by the Provincial Manager Mr Victor Mavhidula and included the participation of his colleagues: Dr Eileen Carter (Senior Legal Officer); Mr Thembi Madalane (Legal Officer) and Mrs Mankese Thema (Human Rights Advocacy, Research and Communications Officer) at the Limpopo Office.
The morning engagement with the traditional leaders created a platform for robust engagement. The Secretary of the House Mr Mashele together with the Honourable Chairperson Kgoshi Dikgale M.S and the other members of the Traditional House articulated their position on access to land and land administration.
The first benchmarking visit took place in Zebediela Citrus Farm Estate. The delegation analysed literature on the Bjatladi Community Restitution Claim and the economic model employed between the community and the strategic partner prior to the site visit.
Problems in local government must be investigated, this is necessary because a large portion of South Africa and its people are feeling and living the consequences of poor governance. This is according to Prof Nico Steytler, SARChI Chair in Multlevel Government, Law and Policy at the Dullah Omar Institute when delivering a keynote address at the SALGA Research Colloquium currently taking place at the Cape Sun Hotel from 28-29 March 2018.
Prof Christopher Mbazira from Public Interest Law Clinic (PILAC) at Makerere University in Uganda has been appointed an Extraordinary Associate Professor in the Dullah Omar Institute at the University of the Western Cape.
