In this week’s contribution, Yvonne reflects on the gap between the constitutional right to food and the lived realities of hunger and food insecurity in South Africa. Drawing on submissions made to the National Inquiry into the Food Systems of South Africa conducted by the South African Human Rights Commission, the article explores the structural causes of food insecurity, including inadequate wages, corporate concentration in the food system, unequal land ownership, and weaknesses in social protection. The piece also considers the legal and policy gaps that continue to undermine the realisation of the right to food, and calls for stronger accountability, improved enforcement, and more coordinated governance responses. 

In this week’s post Amy Raymond examines Egypt’s Asylum Law No. 164/2024. She argues that, despite being the country’s first domestic asylum law, it falls short of international refugee and human rights standards. The article explores the law’s failure to guarantee non-refoulement, its restrictions on fundamental rights, and the criminalisation of assistance to asylum seekers. Amy further analyses how the law’s structural weaknesses have contributed to an escalating crackdown on refugees and asylum seekers in Egypt.

In this post, Bhavya Johari explores how the African Court of Human and People’s Rights climate advisory opinion presents a special jurisprudential opportunity to articulate climate obligations not through mitigation burdens, but through the protection of collective rights and the decolonisation of resource governance.

In this week’s post, Professor Roxan Laubscher analyses the Constitutional Court’s approach to language rights in higher education, focusing on AfriForum v University of the Free State and related cases. The article examines how transformation, equality, and access have shaped judicial interpretation of section 29(2), and questions the impact of this approach on multilingualism, indigenous languages, and inclusive language policy in South Africa.

In this week’s post, Sandra Liebenberg unpacks her recent CCR article, which examines how the interpretation and adjudication of socio-economic rights can advance reparative justice in response to the deep patterns of socio-economic disadvantage and inequality produced by historical injustices such as colonialism and apartheid.

In this week’s post, Elizabeth Graham demonstrates how in light of the prevailing conflict, catastrophic humanitarian crisis and international neglect, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Sudan can play an essential and life-saving role in advancing fundamental economic and social rights such as the right to an adequate standard of living, access to food, medicine and other life-saving services.

In this post, Dr. Omotunde Enigbokan explains the importance of creating a detailed legal commentary on the Kampala Convention to help African states and institutions better understand, interpret, and implement its provisions for protecting and assisting internally displaced persons, as well as improving accountability, monitoring, and practical application across the continent.

in this post, Victor Obinna Chukwuma examines the recent designation of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” by President Trump, particularly how this label may shape the experiences of Nigerian asylum seekers and refugees. While much of the public debate has centered on diplomatic and political implications, the article shifts the focus to the vulnerable individuals whose safety and legal standing may hinge on how this designation is interpreted and applied across international protection systems.

In commemoration of the International Day of Older Persons, Dr. Lydia Chibwe reflects on the landmark entry into force of the Older Persons Protocol, the first legally binding regional instrument protecting the rights of older Africans. While its adoption marks historic progress, she underscores that the real challenge lies in implementation—through domestication, funding, monitoring, and tackling ageism. She further stresses that governments, civil society, and regional bodies must work together to ensure the Protocol moves beyond ratification and meaningfully transforms the lives of millions.

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 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 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.

In this post, Ester Stefanelli provides a detailed account of Mozambique's recent elections as well as the events that led to subsequent protests and disputes over the results. She argues that the Mozambican crisis underscores the limitations of formal elections, which can reflect incomplete constitutional transitions and may even hinder the process of democratic consolidation.

The African Law Matters blog is pleased to announce that our 2024 Year End Anthology is now available online. This showcases the blog’s work and the editors’ selected publications from 2024 and can be accessed directly from this blog post.

Drawing on her publication in CCR XIV, Prof. Fatima Osman examines the South African Constitutional Court's decision to depart from the precedent set in Volks v Robinson, where the court held that unmarried partners who chose not to marry could not claim maintenance under the Maintenance of Surviving Spouses Act (MSSA). In Bwanya, the court declared provisions of the Intestate Succession Act (ISA) and MSSA unconstitutional insofar as they excluded life partners who had undertaken reciprocal duties of support.