The South African Institute for Advanced Constitutional, Public, Human Rights and International Law (SAIFAC) is a centre of the University of Johannesburg and a leading research centre in South Africa producing advanced research in its focus areas.
SAIFAC’s vision is to be an internationally recognized centre of research excellence in its key focus areas of constitutional, human rights, public and international law.
SAIFAC’s mission is to produce advanced research in its focus areas, to foster collaboration and engagement between academics and members of the legal community across South Africa and internationally, and to advance constitutionalism, human rights and the rule of law in Southern Africa.
Events
DISCUSSION: WHITHER ZIMBABWE AFTER THE ELECTIONS?
Join SAIFAC and the Centre for Constitutional Rights (CFCR) for a discussion led by various experts. The event is supported by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS).
There was much hope for the recent elections in Zimbabwe, particularly since these were the first elections in post-independent Zimbabwe where former President Robert Mugabe was not the presidential candidate for the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) political party. In the hotly contested election, current Zimbabwean President, Emmerson Mnangagwa, has been declared the winner of the presidential race, with ZANU-PF gaining more than two-thirds of the seats in Parliament. Amid accusations of rigging, voter intimidation and an uneven playing field, leader of the opposition MDC Alliance, Nelson Chamisa, is at the moment contesting the results on the basis of various electoral irregularities, which served to favour the incumbent.
What does this mean for Zimbabwe's so-called new dawn? What effect will the elections have on the economic situation in Zimbabwe? Importantly - can the elections really be deemed to have been "free and fair".
Speakers include: Adv Fadzayi Mahere (Law Lecturer, University of Zimbabwe and Independent Parliamentary Candidate), Siphosami Malunga (Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa), Manson Gwanyanya (Researcher, Legal Resources Centre) and Thulasizwe Simelane (Senior Political Journalist, eNCA).
Date: Tuesday, 21 August 2018
Venue: Human Rights Room, the Old Fort, Constitution Hill, 11 Kotze Road, Johannesburg
Time: 17h30 for 18h00 to 20h30 (refreshments to be served)
RSVP: ONLINE. Download invite below.
SAIFAC INVITE.pdf
Headlines of 2017...
- The book 'Building a Business and Human Rights Treaty: Context and Contours' will be launched at the United Nations library on Wednesday 25 October 2017.
The book is co-edited by Prof David Bilchitz, Director of the South African Institute for Advanced Constitutional, Public, Human Rights and International Law (SAIFAC), a centre of the University of Johannesburg (UJ) together with Prof Surya Deva, Associate Professor at the City University of Hong Kong. The book brings together leading academics from around the world to consider the way in which a new treaty on business and human rights should be developed and drafted.
The growing recognition of the potential impact of corporations upon fundamental rights has led to a long-awaited process in which states are discussing a binding treaty on business and human rights. Such a treaty would be novel, focusing on how powerful agents can be regulated across international borders to advance the realisation of human rights. This book seeks to rise to the challenge of envisaging what the content of such a treaty would look like. It includes chapters debating questions such as the nature and scope of corporate obligations, the obligations of the state to protect individuals both within their territory and without, and how to advance access to remedies for victims of corporate human rights violations. Many chapters include draft provisions for a future treaty, thus catalysing debate as to what such an instrument should look like and seek to accomplish.
The book will be launched at the United Nations Library from 13h15-14h45 during the week-long meeting of the Inter-governmental Working Group on Business and Human Rights which is tasked with drafting the treaty. It is hoped that the ideas in the book will contribute constructively to the proposals as to what should go into such a treaty. The South African Permanent Mission in Geneva is also officially supporting the launch as is SAIFAC and UJ which are both recognised as supporters.
Invitation.pdf
- Call by Human Rights Organisations for Urgent Intervention by the South African government to stop gross human rights violations in the Republic of South Sudan
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SAIFAC and SARCIL made a submission to parliament on the Implementation of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court Act Repeal Bill. The argument was that the bill and the justifications provided for it are irrational and violate core foundational features of the South African Constitution.
Read more about this topic here...