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.
The Supervisory Board of Utrecht University has appointed Prof. Henk Kummeling, who is Extraordinary Professor at the Dullah Omar Institute, as Rector Magnificus. On 1 June 2018, he will be succeeding Prof. Bert van der Zwaan. Kummeling is presently a distinguished professor of Utrecht University.
The Dullah Omar Institute would like to congratulate its Extraordinary Professor, Zemelak Ayele, who has been appointed the Director of the Center for Federal and Governance Studies at Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia.
Dullah Omar Institute’s Dr Tinashe Calton Chigwata, and Melissa Ziswa’s journal article titled: Entrenching Decentralisation in Africa: A Review of the African Charter on the Values and Principles of Decentralisation, Local Governance and Local Development, got published in the Hague Journal on the Rule of Law yesterday.
According to this second fact sheet, metros and highly urbanised provinces most prone to civic protests. It analyses the geographical spread of civic protests.
Dullah Omar Institute’s Applied Constitutional Studies Laboratory has released its first Fact Sheet , Civic Protest Barometer 2018 - Drop in Civic protests in South Africa in 2017.
The SARChI Chair in Multlevel Government, Law and Policy, Prof Nico Steytler, is hosting two visiting doctoral researchers from Europe. The two will be with the institute for the duration of 2018.
The South African Research Chair (SARChi) in Multilevel Government, Law and Policy, based at the Institute of Dullah Omar Institute (DOI) for Constitutional law, Governance and Human Rights of the University of the Western Cape, is pleased to announce a full-time post-doctoral research fellowship in multilevel government for 2018.
Jaap de Visser presented at the 32rd Conference of the Institut Arabe des Chefs d'Entreprises (IACE) in Sousse, Tunisia. IACE is an NGO in Tunisia that works to support the private sector in Tunisia. This year's IACE Conference (7-8 December 2017) was dedicated to decentralisation.
Since 25 November, during the 16 Days of Activism, the #NotOurLeaders has covered 20 cases of politicians from a spectrum of political parties and people in senior government positions who have faced allegations of sexual misconduct. The nature of the misconduct has included demanding sex for jobs or promotions, verbal and physical harassment, sexual assault, and rape - including rape of children. Some of the people covered by the campaign are facing criminal charges while others have faced internal complaints or disciplinary action. All of the cases have been reported on by media.
In February 2015 Mohapi Jihad Mohapi, chair of the Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) Select Committee in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) was charged with assaulting his former girlfriend. According to a journalist who had access to the photographs, the woman’s injuries included a blue eye and bruising to most of her upper chest region, the upper part of one arm, as well as one thigh. Mohapi handed himself over to the police and was charged with assault, kidnapping and crimen injuria. The fate of the criminal case is unknown.
In August 2017 the former Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training, Mduduzi Manana, was captured on camera assaulting three women with the assistance of his friends Thulani Madonka and Cyril Madonsela. This led to his resignation and subsequent conviction of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. In early November Manana was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment or a R100 000 fine, as well as community service – a sentence which enables him to remain in Parliament. The Constitution stipulates that individuals only become ineligible to stand as public representatives if, in the last five years, they have received a sentence in excess of 12 months without the option of a fine.
Esther Mahlangu-Mathibela was sexually harassed for three years by George Mthimunye, the then-municipal manager of the Dr JS Moroka Municipality in Mpumalanga. In 2001 Mthimunye was finally suspended and charged with sexual harassment and unauthorised or fruitless expenditure. He later settled with the municipality and resigned in 2001, reportedly having received a R5 million settlement. Mthimunye was then appointed the municipal manager of the Naledi municipality in Vryburg – and suspended in 2010 in the course of disciplinary proceedings against him, related to tender irregularities.
On 1 June 2017 Malibongwe Ngcai started his job as general manager of corporate services in the Eastern Cape Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), and Basil Mase the general manager of strategic information management, also in COGTA. Both men had resigned their positions as senior managers in the Eastern Cape Legislature only one day before joining COGTA – so evading any sanctions arising from the disciplinary proceedings against them.
In March 2017 a 44-year-old government female employee in the labour relations unit of the Sekhukhune District municipal council in Limpopo reportedly had to apply for a protection order against “the institution’s corporate services director.”
In May of this year an unnamed ANC councillor was accused of raping a 16-year old girl. He was released on bail of R5 000 by the Mdutjana Magistrate’s Court in Siyabuswa, Mpumalanga and the next court date set for 23 June.
On Thursday 30 November Sipho Maselane, an ANC councillor for Winterveldt, will be appearing in the Ga-Rankuwa magistrates court to face multiple criminal charges, including for rapes and robberies committed in 2014 and 2015. The case has been on the court roll for over two years and been postponed numerous times.
