From commitments to concrete action: Ending femicide in South Africa
Posted: 20 July, 2026 Filed under: Derara Roba, Keziah Mwashigadi, Noah Yesuf, Rumbidzai Musonza | Tags: accountability, femicide, gender-based violence, human dignity, intimate partner violence, live free from violence, National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide Act 9 of 2024, national disaster, National Strategy on the Prevention of Femicide, South Africa, woman's rights, women’s dignity Leave a commentThe Authors are enrolled in the LL.M in Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa (HRDA) at the Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Noah Yesuf |
Rumbidzai Musonza |
Derara Roba |
Keziah Mwashigadi |
Femicide in South Africa: The staggering realities
Femicide represents the most extreme manifestation of gender-based violence against women and girls. The numbers are frightening as reports have repeatedly shown that South Africa has one of the highest femicide rates in the world. Recent records indicate that the rate of intimate partner violence in South Africa is five times higher than the global average, and approximately 15 women are killed every day.
Yet, the response remains sluggish, unable to effectively tackle the pervasive ongoing femicide crisis that poses a daily threat to women’s lives and deprive their constitutional right to live free from violence with dignity, equality, and freedom.
Between coordination and enforcement: What the GBVF disaster declaration actually delivers
Posted: 8 June, 2026 Filed under: Rethabile Mosese | Tags: accountability, ActionSA, criminal justice system, Disaster Management Act, Domestic Violence Act, femicide, GBVF, gender-based violence, legal advocacy organisations, national disaster, National Disaster Management Centre, National Prosecuting Authority, National Shelter Movement of South Africa, political decision, Public Finance Management Act, Rape Crisis Cape Town Trust, sexual offences, Sexual Offences Act, Victims of Crime Survey, Women for Change Leave a comment
Author: Rethabile Mosese
Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria
A political victory, a legal question
On 21 November 2025, thousands of women lay on the ground for fifteen minutes at the Union Buildings, in shopping centres, on pavements and office floors, honouring the women killed every day in South Africa. I joined them knowing that these numbers are not abstract. Though exact figures fluctuate with reporting cycles, research by the South African Medical Research Council and Gender and Firearms Studies Africa estimates that around fifteen women are murdered daily. Hours after this collective act of mourning, government declared gender-based violence and femicide a national disaster under the Disaster Management Act. For many, the declaration felt like long-awaited recognition. But the legal instrument government chose matters as much as the declaration itself. Having spent over a decade inside the systems meant to protect survivors, I understand how much turns on that choice.
Lethal Skies, Absent Law: Drone Warfare in Sudan and the Limits of International Humanitarian Law
Posted: 13 April, 2026 Filed under: Razan E H Ali | Tags: accountability, armed conflicts, Arms Supply Problem, drone strikes, drone technology, Geneva Conventions, International Committee of the Red Cross, international human rights law, international legal community, legal architecture, Rapid Support Forces, Sudan, Sudanese Armed Forces, Sudanese domestic law, summary executions, transparency failures Leave a comment
Author: Razan Ali
Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria
1 Introduction
The proliferation of drone technology into an ever-growing number of armed conflicts has generated deep unease within the international legal community. As the United Nations Secretary-General observed in 2020, this proliferation ‘reinforces long-standing concerns over compliance with international humanitarian and international human rights law, accountability and transparency’. Nowhere is this concern more acutely illustrated than in Sudan.
Since the outbreak of armed conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in April 2023, UAVs have emerged as a defining feature of the battlefield. Between 1 January and 15 March 2026 alone, over 500 civilians were killed in drone strikes, with more than 277 fatalities recorded in the first two weeks of March. Just a few days ago, a drone strike tragically hit the town of Kutum in North Darfur, killing 30 people at a wedding ceremony. Earlier, on March 20, 2025, during the first day of Eid al-Fitr, coordinated air and drone strikes targeted El Daein Teaching Hospital in East Darfur, resulting in at least 64 deaths, including 13 children, and causing the hospital’s emergency, maternity, and pediatric units to become entirely non-operational.
Digital Public Infrastructure Through an Open Government Lens
Posted: 11 February, 2026 Filed under: Hlengiwe Dube | Tags: access, accountability, AI registers, algorithmic bias, Algorithmic Impact Assessment (AIA) framework, automated social protection, data exchange platforms, Democratic Legitimacy, digital identity systems, Digital Public Infrastructure, digital service delivery, digital transformation, DPI, e-government, government reform, inclusion, oversight, public participation, Public Trust, transparency 1 Comment
Author: Hlengiwe Dube
Senior digital rights and policy expert
Abstract
Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) is rapidly being deployed worldwide, yet its governance is a significant blind spot in open government reform. While governments focus on digital service delivery, the underlying systems that determine access, inclusion, and fairness often operate without transparency, accountability, or public participation. This article argues that DPI must be governed through open government principles to prevent systemic harm such as exclusion from essential services, algorithmic bias, and eroded public trust and to realize its potential for public good. Using global cases, it shows how integrating transparency, oversight, and participatory design into DPI can turn digital infrastructure into a force for democratic accountability, rather than hidden control. Finally, the article calls for explicit inclusion of DPI governance into frameworks like the Open Government Partnership, ensuring that digital transformation encodes democratic values, not just technical efficiency, into the infrastructure of the state.
Lesotho: Shaping a New Path Through Transitional Justice
Posted: 9 January, 2025 Filed under: Mary Izobo | Tags: accountability, African Union, African Union Transitional Justice Policy, capacity-building workshop, Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation, contested elections, CSVR, cultural heritage, fragile governance, governance challenges, healing, holistic policy framework, justice, Kingdom in the Sky, mental health, military coups, political crises, political instability, psychosocial support, reconciliation, stability, under-resourced Leave a comment
Author: Mary Izobo
Advocacy Manager, Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation
Introduction
Lesotho, a small mountainous nation nestled in the heart of Southern Africa, stands at a pivotal moment as it charts its path toward stability and justice. Often described as the “Kingdom in the Sky” because of its breathtaking highland terrain, Lesotho’s journey is defined by its rich cultural heritage and the challenges of political instability.
Oil production in South Sudan: A lifeline for the economy or an infringement on children’s right to a safe, clean and healthy environment?
Posted: 22 November, 2024 Filed under: Akot Makur Chuot, Yeabsira Teferi | Tags: accountability, African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, business enterprises, children’s rights, Constitution of the Republic of South Sudan of 2011, deaths of children, economic interference, effective remedies, environment, environmental assessments, environmental pollution, fairness, human rights, international human rights law, legislation, Ogoni people, Oil production, oil sector, oil-fields, South Sudan, UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, violations of children’s rights Leave a comment
Author: Akot Makur Chuot
LLM Candidate, Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria
Introduction
Oil-operating companies have been acting carte blanche with absolute impunity in South Sudan without complying with international practices premised on human rights considerations. The human rights violations in Unity and Upper Nile States are a testimony that private businesses in the oil and gas industry are unfettered in South Sudan. As a result, the actions and omissions of oil-operating companies in South Sudan have resulted in violations of children’s rights as will be explored in section 4 of the article. This is attested by the birth of children with deformities, stillbirth and several health concerns. It can be argued that the failure of South Sudan to regulate the business enterprises in the oil sector is a breach of its obligations under international human rights law.
Challenges and Opportunities in Implementing Access to Information Laws
Posted: 9 September, 2024 Filed under: Chioma Henrietta Okoli | Tags: Access to Information Laws, accountability, Bureaucratic resistance, Challenges and Opportunities in Implementing Access to Information, civic engagement, cultural challenges, Culture of secrecy, democratic principles, FOI, freedom of information, fundamental right, good governance, Institutional Challenges, Lack of resources, open governance, Reluctance to share information, right to information, RTI, sensitive information, transparency Leave a comment
Author: Chioma Henrietta Okoli
Senior Legal Officer, National Human Rights Commission, Nigeria
Introduction:
Access to information, often known as Freedom of Information (FOI) or Right to Information (RTI) is a fundamental right that enables individuals to seek, receive, and impart information freely.[1] It is a fundamental cornerstone of transparent governance, democratic principles, and citizen empowerment. It enables individuals to participate in the decision-making processes of their governments, fosters accountability, and strengthens the foundations of democratic societies.[2] To this end, countries worldwide have enacted access to information laws with the aim of ensuring public access to government and privately held information.[3] However, despite the noble intentions of these laws, their effective implementation remains a multifaceted challenge, impeding the realisation of a truly open and accountable society.
Empowering African Governance: Unveiling the Path to Accountability and Emancipation
Posted: 21 August, 2024 Filed under: Micha Wiebusch | Tags: A Theory of Africanizing International Law, accountability, Africa, African Governance, Emancipation 1 Comment
Author: Micha Wiebusch
African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights
Have you ever felt frustrated when you are working on something and someone comes along and tells you, “you should do it this way”? Or, they even say “you should do it my way”. Or worse, they just push you aside and do it themselves, or they threaten or even apply physical force if you do not do it their way. That sense of annoyance, when receiving the “advice”, and in its extreme variation, the loss of dignity when being physically coerced, is at the core of this book.
While those feelings are discussed primarily in an African context, the book acknowledges the occurrence of those feelings in different geographical spaces, cultures, social settings and throughout time.
Pay or be denied: The impact of fees and charges on journalists’ perception of the effectiveness of Ghana’s Right to Information Law
Posted: 26 June, 2024 Filed under: Kwaku Krobea Asante | Tags: Access to Information, accountability, ATI, corruption, economic mismanagement, fundamental human rights, Ghana, Ghana’s Right to Information Commission, journalists, lack of accountability, military coups, Model Law of Access to Information for Africa, restriction to information access, right to access information, transparency Leave a comment
Author: Kwaku Krobea Asante
Senior Programme Officer, Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA)
Introduction
There has been a global upsurge in the demand for transparency, accountability and the establishment of norms in favour of democracy [1]. These norms include the passage of universal Access to Information (ATI) laws and the respect for the right to access information across the world[2].
In Africa, the adoption of the Model Law of Access to Information for Africa in 2013 was a response to emerging questions about widening inequality, widespread poverty, corruption and lack of accountability in public office. Indeed, the model law is consistent with other relevant laws including the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (the African Charter).
Testing the Waters of Transparency: The Impact of Namibia’s Access to Information Act on Constitutionalism
Posted: 18 June, 2024 Filed under: Dunia P. Zongwe | Tags: Access to Information Act, accountability, ‘Fishrot’ Files, constitutionalism, corruption scandal, Gondwana case, Haufiku case, human rights, international standards, Namibia, national security, RAI, right to access information, rule of law, secrecy, secret information Leave a comment
Author: Dunia P. Zongwe
Associate Professor, Alliance School of Law, India; and Adjunct Associate Professor, Walter Sisulu University, South Africa
Abstract
This paper decodes the right to access information (RAI) in the newly enacted Access to Information Act in Namibia. Passed by Parliament in 2022, this Act came on the heels of the infamous ‘Fishrot’ Files, the country’s ugliest corruption scandal, uncovered through massive information leaks. This paper evaluates the efficacy of the Act in advancing the goals of constitutionalism by enabling individuals to access information robustly and transparently, thereby holding the ruling elite accountable to the public.
This paper unfolds in four steps. It begins by describing the loopholes that existed in the law before 2022, pondering what these lacunae imply for constitutionalism. Next, the paper dissects the RAI in theory, doctrine, and as presented in the Access to Information Act 8 of 2022. It then examines the Act’s provisions on RAI against the provisions laid out in the 2013 Model Law on Access to Information for Africa, highlighting key parallels. Lastly, drawing on those parallels, the paper assesses whether the RAI, as consecrated in the 2022 Act, advances the goals of constitutionalism. The paper argues that, by excluding from its scope Cabinet deliberations, the Act watered down the presumption of disclosure, and, in that sense, it failed to close the last loopholes that allowed the executive branch to evade accountability. This paper adds to the relevant literature by revealing that implementing the RAI and the disclosure presumption may constrain the executive more effectively than the other organs of the state.
AfricLaw 