CLS

Centre for Law and Society at the University of Cape Town.

[CLS @ClsUct]

Latest publication by CLS Research Associate @dansmywholename. Full article available open access at: https://t.co/mTCY4dbjum

[anointed by Pius Langa 🌹 @dansmywholename]

🚨 Publication Alert!

Our implied powers jurisprudence is out of control. Amabhungane gave courts license to legislate and they are remaking a number of institutions through the doctrine of implied powers. I explain why that’s a problem.

Open access: https://t.co/SFJk9oQJDH

[CLS @ClsUct]

Registration for the 2026 Kate O'Regan Intervarsity Moot Competition, co-hosted by CLS, @UctLaw & @MootSocietyUCT is now open. See below for fact set, rules and timeline: https://t.co/EltlFX9dEs

[CLS @ClsUct]

Yesterday CLS was privileged to host the launch of Prof @jameelah_omar’s recently published book - The Structural Exclusion of Rape Complainants in South Africa’s Criminal Justice System.The book is now available through @routledgebooks in the Frontiers of Criminal Justice series

[UCT Law School @UctLaw]

Prof Jaco Barnard-Naude introduces A/Prof Jameelah Omar and Prof Dee Smythe at this evening’s launch of Prof Omar’s new book titled “The Structural Exclusion of Rape Complainants in South Africa’s Criminal Justice System”.
#UCTLaw

[Jameelah Omar @jameelah_omar]

Thank you @ClsUct for hosting my book launch, and @dee_smythe and colleagues and students for the robust and engaging discussion 🩷

[Ben Cronin @BenjaminACronin]

Attending the launch of Associate Professor @jameelah_omar book 'The Structural Exclusion of Rape Complaints', hosted by @ClsUct at the UCT Law Faculty

[Mbekezeli @MbekezeliMB]

My colleagues at @LarcUCT (Thiyane Duda and Bonani Loliwe) wrote the first isiXhosa article in @SAJHR_ZA, critiquing how writing laws in English erases some of the logics of the peoples whom the laws are supposed to govern. In this context, they write about land laws and rights.

[Judges Matter @WhyJudgesMatter]

6/6
Civil society is calling for urgent action:
✔ Appoint judges now
✔ Explain the delay
✔ Commit to a transparent, timely process

The situation is untenable. The rule of law depends on it. Read our Media Statement: https://t.co/2HuBjjjwHq
#JudgesMatter #ConstitutionalCourt #SouthAfrica

[Judges Matter @WhyJudgesMatter]

1/6
It has now been over 5 months since candidates were recommended for appointment to South Africa’s Constitutional Court - and still no decision.
This is the longest delay of its kind in democratic South Africa.

https://t.co/2HuBjjjwHq

@ClsUct @_FreeExpression @CASACZA @LRCSouthAfrica

[Judges Matter @WhyJudgesMatter]

It is now nearly five full months since the Judicial Service Commission interviewed and recommended five judges for President Cyril Ramaphosa to select two for appointment to the Constitutional Court. The president has not yet made these appointments.

This leaves the highest court in the land to hobble along without a full complement of 11 permanent judges for the tenth year in a row. Research from the University of Cape Town shows that this is one of the causes of the court’s declining performance over the last decade. So why has the president not acted? Read our article: https://t.co/cXcttiyIxJ

#JudgesMatter #ConstitutionalCourt #SouthAfrica

[Franny Rabkin @franstaar]

For those concerned about the delay in the Phala Phala judgment (I am also), for context you should read this excellent article by Nurina Ally and Leo Boonzaier https://t.co/QQWWg1ViQf
And then, also read their 2025 update here: https://t.co/bTf12lUJ00

[CLS @ClsUct]

Latest from CLS Research Associate, @dansmywholename (@UctLaw) on courts as sites of political contestation; full chapter here: https://t.co/sDa890HqIt

[anointed by Pius Langa 🌹 @dansmywholename]

We made the legal theory blog! Cc ⁦@sfiso_benard⁩ 😌 https://t.co/aXbauUhjGH

[CLS @ClsUct]

Latest @ConCourtSA statistics from CLS Director, Nurina Ally (@UctLaw) & Dr Leo Boonzaier. Headline: Judgment processing times are at an all-time high. Read the full article here: https://t.co/u9BfKeOEV5

[@Blog_ALM @blog_alm]

We're kicking off the year with an informative post by Leo Boonzaier & Nurina Ally. Drawing from their forthcoming article in the Constitutional Court Review Vol 15, the authors give an update of their 2022 study on the efficiency problems of @ConCourtSA.

https://t.co/zw0LyiLymn

[CLS @ClsUct]

Now available: Read CLS research associate @dansmywholename’s LLM thesis on informal constitutional change. 👇@UctLaw

[anointed by Pius Langa 🌹 @dansmywholename]

My Master’s dissertation “Informal Constitutional Change: Towards a South African theory of Unconstitutional Constitutional Change” – a study on how courts change constitutions without the text ever changing – now available! 😁 keen for comments/critique! https://t.co/EvbmM54PBi

[anointed by Pius Langa 🌹 @dansmywholename]

UCT is hosting next year’s Public Law Conference on “Public Law and the Future of Constitutional Democracy”. It’s a great opportunity to present your work and get feedback from international experts on public law. Submit an abstract by 14 November here: https://t.co/ymYUO8ScWU

[CLS @ClsUct]

Congratulations to the @UctLaw team for placing third in the annual @UPChildLaw child law moot. Shout out to Lizwi Majola, CLS student assistant, who was awarded best speaker of the competition. 🙌👏

[Centre for Child Law @UPChildLaw]

The CCL is looking forward to hosting 18 universities at this year’s 14th Annual Child Law Moot Court Competition taking place from the 19th - 20th September 2025. The theme for this year is “Care and Protection” with the focus on the legality of providing devices or mechanisms for the safe relinquishment of infants, known as ‘Baby Saver Boxes’ under the Children’s Act of 2005 and international child law.

We look forward to finding out who will take the title this year. All the best to the esteemed teams!!

Here is the list of the past winners:

University of Pretoria - 2010
Rhodes University - 2011
University of Pretoria - 2012
University of Johannesburg -2013
Rhodes University - 2014
University of Johannesburg - 2015
University of Johannesburg - 2016
University of Pretoria - 2017
University of Witwatersrand - 2018
University of Western Cape - 2019
University of Pretoria - 2022
University of Cape Town - 2023
University of Cape Town - 2024

[PublicLaw Conference @PublicLawConf]

We are pleased to open the Call for Papers for the 2026 Public Law Conference, 1-4 July 2026, Cape Town.
The theme is "Public Law & the Future of Constitutional Democracy".
Submit an abstract via Oxford Abstracts by 14 Nov 2025: https://t.co/OFAG5OFopK
Details⬇️

[CLS @ClsUct]

Join us for a conversation with Prof David Bilchitz on the positive obligations of corporations.