News

Fighting corruption requires a combined effort, should be a shared objective and citizens need to be actively involved in this fight. This is according to Dullah Omar Institute’s researcher, Dr Tinashe Chigwata during a seminar on Combatting Corruption held at Stellenbosch Institute of Advanced Studies recently(STIAS) on 6 November 2017. The seminar was part of STIAS year-end function for PhD Scholarship holders with an audience of students from all over Africa.

A debate in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) on the challenges facing farm learners this week quickly escalated into a political wrestling match between provinces but also confirmed there are no easy solutions to these challenges.

Government’s plan against hunger, if approved, may cost the already cash-strapped country more than R86 billion over the next five years. These figures presented in parliament this week had a few MPs in the Portfolio Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries at the edge of their seats questioning where the money will come from.

How well is the People’s Parliament living up to this name? Community members who monitor parliament as part of the Parliament Watch collective give their impressions of various portfolio committee meetings and how MPs are exercising their oversight duty. By making Parliament everyone’s business, public agency, transparency, and access to information – all important building blocks of democracy – is promoted. Parliament Watch monitors affiliated to the Social Justice Coalition Lunga Mtoto, Nosipho Zembe and Yonela Maweza attended the Portfolio Committee on Police on Tuesday, 14 November 2017. This is their impressions

Despite alarming figures of tens of thousands of child marriages in the country, much-needed legislation to address the issue is seemingly still a long way off for those considered child victims of forced marriages.

The South African Local Government Association (SALGA), in partnership with the University of the Western Cape’s Dullah Omar Institute, will host a research colloquium in Cape Town on 28 – 29 March 2018. The theme of the colloquium is “Rethinking Local Government Transformation: Spatial Planning, Robust Governance and Sustainable Financing as tools for developmental local government”

The Socio-economic Rights Project at the Dullah Omar Institute, University of the Western Cape (UWC) has a bursary available for a full-time student to study in 2018 towards a Master’s Degree in Law with a specific focus on Human Rights and Food Security.

A regional conference held in Malawi, the birthplace of paralegalism, called upon states to recognise and support the key role played by paralegals in the criminal justice system. The conference proceedings were facilitated by ACJR researcher Jean Redpath.