Welcome to the Centre for Law and Society (CLS)

The Rural Women's Action Research Programme at the Centre for Law and Society invites you to a lunch time seminar on 3 June 2013.

Light refreshments will be served. Please RSVP to Sue Wright via e-mail or telephone: 021 650 5906.

Umhlaba 1913-2013, the largest photographic exhibition on the land issue in South Africa, will run at Iziko SA National Gallery until 28 July. Click here to read more...

More than 180 papers were presented at the Land Divided conference, that opened at UCT last week, providing an opportunity for scores of researchers and government and civil society representatives to explore the legacy of the segregationist and far-reaching Land Act of 1913. Click here to read more...

Custom Contested (www.customcontested.co.za) - a one-stop website that provides news, information and analysis on laws and policies affecting custom, "tradition" and citizenship rights - will go live on Wednesday, 27 March 2013.

The Centre for Law and Society has intervened as a friend of the court in Sigcau v President of the Republic of South Africa and Others, an appeal before the Constitutional Court. The appeal involves a dispute as to the leadership of the amaMpondo, arising out of the findings of the Commission on Traditional Leadership Disputes and Claims. A full press statement can be downloaded here.

Please note that as of 1 January 2013 the Law, Race and Gender Research Unit is to be known as the Centre for Law and Society (CLS). Over the next few weeks our website will be adapted to reflect our name change. We apologise for any technical difficulties you may experience as a result.

Released by the Alliance for Rural Democracy

On 29 November a report was compiled by the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) titled "Controversial Traditional Courts Bill Withdrawn", written by Dennis Cruywagen. The report erroneously states that: "The controversial Traditional Courts Bill is to be withdrawn and will not be brought before Parliament any time soon."

Released by the Alliance for Rural Democracy

President Jacob Zuma on Thursday acknowledged to the National House of Traditional Leaders that the Traditional Courts Bill is flawed because, among others, it balkanises black rural people according to the tribal boundaries of the defunct Bantustans.

President Zuma commented on the Traditional Courts Bill during his annual speech to the National House of Traditional Leaders, held in Parliament on 1 November 2012.

Today many South Africans expected the National Council of Province’s Select Committee on Security and Constitutional Development to finally deliberate on the Traditional Courts Bill following the public hearings. This is what the Committee Chairperson, Mr. Tjetha Mofokeng, indicated would be done when the consultations were concluded in September.

A conference titled Land Divided: Land and South African Society in 2013, in Comparative Perspective will be held at the University of Cape Town from 24 to 27 March 2013, to mark 100 years since the passing of the Natives Land Act in 1913. Please note that the call for proposals has been extended to 31 October 2012.

The dates for the Traditional Courts Bill public hearings in Cape Town have been changed. The hearings will now be held on 18, 19, 20 and possibly 21 September 2012.

The deadline for written submissions remains Tuesday 4 September 2012.

The Alliance for Rural Democracy is perplexed that the final resolution on the Traditional Courts Bill of the Women's Parliament, held on 30-31 August, fails to support the withdrawal of the Bill.

Key resources are available here to aid in the writing of submissions to the NCOP Select Committee on Security and Constitutional Development. Summary resources, background documents, writing guidelines and examples of submissions are included.

Deadline: 4 September 2012

As has become their custom, UCT scholars young and older - no fewer than 11, in fact - featured prominently among the winners of this year's South African Women in Science Awards, or WISA. The women, from senior scholars to master's students, were honoured at a gala ceremony in Pretoria on 24 August, where the awards were presented by the national Department of Science & Technology (DST) and minister Naledi Pandor. Click here to read more...

LRG has issued a media release regarding statements made by the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities, Lulu Xingwana. Download media release

The HSRC hosted a seminar on the Traditional Courts Bill, presented by Sizani Ngubane and Phathekile Holomisa. Download report

Aninka Claassens, Senior Researcher at LRG and Project Leader of the Rural Women's Action Research Project, successfully defended her PhD thesis in Development Studies on 22 June at Roskilde University, Denmark.

Congratulations, Aninka!

The rural people who spoke out against the TCB during the provincial hearings won a major victory on Wednesday when the Provinces submitted their negotiating mandates.

A summary of known dates for the provincial public participation process around the Traditional Courts Bill [B1-2012] is available for download. Please note that the summary is updated regularly, as new information becomes available.

The summary can be downloaded directly here.