In this post, Amanda Quest examines the failure to eradicate female genital mutilation (FGM) in Africa. In doing so, she highlights the gap between legal and policy frameworks and lived experiences due to patriarchal values in several African countries, which persist despite FGM being outlawed. She argues that community-level interventions coupled with economic empowerment for women and girls are essential to overcome FGM in Africa.

In this post, Professor Bradlow examines how the International Court of Justice’s 2025 climate change advisory opinion may influence African sovereign debt negotiations. While debt talks have traditionally centered on economics and contracts, they often neglect environmental and social impacts. The ICJ affirmed states’ duties under customary international law to cooperate and prevent environmental harm. Professor Bradlow highlights how this opens new avenues for African debtors, creditors, and activists to push for climate-conscious debt restructuring, link debt to human rights obligations, and hold financial institutions accountable for environmental and social consequences.

In this post, Jonah Godswill Ekwere highlights the persistent tension between Nigerian customary laws and constitutional rights. He situates this discussion within the broader global struggle of reconciling entrenched cultural practices with modern legal frameworks. Ekwere emphasises the urgent need for stronger enforcement of existing statutes aimed at protecting women, particularly in relation to property rights, where discriminatory customs continue to undermine constitutional protections.

In this week’s post, Professor Marius explores a recent Labour Court judgment that exposes troubling gaps in how South African law handles false accusations of racism in the workplace. Drawing on the Solidarity obo K v Western Cape Education Department case, he argues that the court failed to recognise such false accusations as a form of racial discrimination under the Employment Equity Act. He critiques this approach, highlights the real-world consequences of the legal reasoning, and offers five key recommendations to ensure that both genuine racism and its misuse are addressed with equal rigour in the pursuit of workplace equality.

In this week’s post, Lydia and Sheryl highlight the urgent need to protect women and girls in conflict zones across Africa by accelerating the implementation of the Maputo Protocol’s peace and security commitments. The duo observes that despite strong legal frameworks, gender-based violence remains widespread, accountability is rare, and survivors are left unsupported. Drawing on recent conflicts in Cameroon, Somalia, DRC, Sudan, and more, Lydia and Sheryl reveal the troubling gap between promise and practice—and call on African governments and institutions to take concrete, gender-responsive action to ensure peace processes and post-conflict recovery truly serve the needs of women and girls.

In this post, Lawrence Dlamini reflects on 30 years of Constitutional Court jurisprudence, with a particular focus on administrative justice. He argues that the Court has worked to ground the right to administrative justice in a more coherent and principled legal framework, as required by the Constitution since the enactment of the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act (PAJA).

In this post, Anoussa Salim examines whether the DRC’s legal and regulatory frameworks on child labour align with humanitarian law standards. She argues that while the DRC has a strong legal framework, poor enforcement, driven by poverty, corruption, and weak oversight, undermines its effectiveness. The post calls for a holistic strategy that includes law enforcement, socioeconomic reform, and greater corporate accountability.

In this week’s post, Professor Effoduh and Awotula highlight how law faculties across English-speaking sub-Saharan African states have been slow to reform their curricula in response to the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and emerging technologies. The duo observes that while AI reshapes everything from finance to justice, most legal education remains outdated, failing to equip students for this shifting terrain. They call for urgent, context-aware reforms grounded in African philosophies, including the introduction of compulsory Law and Technology courses.

In this week’s post, Art Wynberg analyses two judgments handed down by the High Court of South Africa in similar cases concerning asylum seekers who sought judicial review after being denied refugee status. The author highlights the contrasting approaches taken by the court in response to the applicants’ decision to bypass the internal appeal process required under section 7(2)(a) of the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act (“PAJA”).

In this week’s post, Ezile Madlala reports on the 7th Annual Regional Binding Treaty Indaba held in Johannesburg last month. During the event, mining-affected communities, civil society and African state representatives pushed for a binding international treaty on business and human rights, highlighted barriers to participation in treaty negotiations, and stressed the need for African-led solutions.

In this week’s AML blog piece, Wandile observes that South Africa’s Climate Change Act represents a step forward in aligning the country with global climate commitments. However, he notes that the recently enacted Upstream Petroleum Resources Development Act undermines this progress by promoting the exploration of fossil fuels. He argues that this contradiction threatens environmental rights, deepens inequality, and reveals a troubling disconnect between South Africa’s climate goals and its fossil fuel-driven development agenda.

In this week’s AML blog piece, Michael examines Uganda’s ongoing enforced disappearances, highlighting the abduction of opposition supporters and critics, often by unidentified state operatives. He observes that despite being party to international conventions and having strong constitutional protections, Uganda continues to violate fundamental rights with impunity. He further details legal efforts, ignored court orders, and the involvement of senior officials, arguing that the state must be held accountable for arbitrary arrests and illegal detentions.

This video is the fourth in a series of interviews that we conducted with members of the South African judiciary to commemorate 30 years of democracy in South Africa. In this episode, Judge Margie Victor reflects on the successes and challenges of the Constitution in protecting human rights and the impact of landmark cases on the country’s democratic development.

In this episode, Justice Majiedt reflects on the how the judiciary has worked to safeguard democratic values and uphold the rule of law in a changing social and political landscape. Drawing on landmark cases such as Grootboom and August v Electoral Commission, Justice Majiedt explores how the Constitutional Court’s jurisprudence has adapted to meet emerging socio-economic and political challenges. The conversation also highlights some of the most influential decisions that have shaped the trajectory of democracy and the protection of human rights in post-apartheid South Africa.

This video is the second in a series of interviews that we conducted with members of the South African Judiciary to commemorate 30 years of democracy in South Africa. This interview explored the evolving role of South Africa’s Constitution in protecting democracy and human rights over the past three decades. It also covered the successes and shortcomings of the constitutional framework, the impact of landmark court decisions, and the delicate balance the Court must maintain between respecting the separation of powers and ensuring government accountability.