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On 30 May 2024, the Daily Maverick published an op-ed co-authored by SERI's Lauren Royston, the Inner City Federation’s Siyabonga Mahlangu and Abahlali BaseMjondolo’s Thapelo Mohapi entitled, ' New white paper on human settlements threatens a core constitutional right’ 

The op-ed critically examines the newly released Housing White Paper, highlighting both its procedural shortcomings and substantive concerns regarding housing rights in South Africa.

The authors argue that although the White Paper begins with general principles that affirm the constitutional mandate, it ends with a recommendation to review the Prevention of Illegal Eviction and Unlawful Occupation of Land Act 19 of 1998 (PIE Act). This is particularly troubling as the recommendation is buried in a section where it seems out of place:

“Unlawful development must be discouraged severely. This entails reviewal (sic) of the PIE Act which requires alternative accommodation for illegal occupation of land.”

The authors conclude that: 

As the 30 years of democracy commemorations abound, we might imagine that more progress would have been made on the desperate need for housing and land faced by a large proportion of the population.

Instead, we have a draft White Paper that threatens a core constitutional right.

• Read the op-ed here. 
• Access SERI, Abahlali baseMjondolo and the Inner City Federation comments on the White Paper can be found here.

The Socio-Economic Rights Institute of South Africa (SERI) Law Clinic wishes to fill up to two vacancies for candidate attorneys (CAs).

These vacancies will arise on or after 1 January 2025.

The SERI Law Clinic has a first-rate human rights practice, which encompasses constitutional and administrative law, criminal defence, defamation, labour law, property law, contract law (insofar as it involves consumer protection) and actions against the police and other delictual claims. SERI concentrates its work in South Africa’s townships, informal settlements and other poor and marginalised communities. SERI’s practitioners appear regularly at all levels of the court system, up to and including the Constitutional Court. SERI has an enviable track record in obtaining and enforcing ground-breaking judgments. You can find out more about SERI on www.seri-sa.org and www.fightingforaliving.org.

SERI is authorised by the Legal Practice Council to accept and train CAs. CAs are recruited for a fixed-term of two years, leading to qualification and admission as an attorney. These posts carry salaries in the region of R340 000 per annum.

The requirements for the positions are as follows -

Essential

• LLB Degree.
• Interest in and, some prior engagement with, human rights law or litigation.

Desirable

• Interest in, and experience of, research and publication.
• Fluency in any of South Africa’s indigenous languages.

SERI wishes to contribute to the development of a new generation of human rights lawyers at the national and international level. Accordingly, the positions carry with them significant opportunities for travel and continuing professional training and development. 

If you are interested, please send a CV, academic transcript and covering letter to Princess Nkuna at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. In your letter, provide a detailed explanation of why you are interested in working for SERI, and what qualities and experience you would bring to the post.

Generalised covering letters, which do not engage with SERI’s activities and purpose, will not be considered.

 The closing date for applications is Friday 5 July 2024. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted, and will be expected to make themselves available for interview in August 2024.

Download a pdf version of the advert here.

On 11 May 2024, SERI participated in the celebration of ‘30 years of Freedom and Democracy with Domestic Workers’ hosted by the Department of Employment and Labour’s Compensation Fund, under the theme ‘Freedom for All’.The event was held to acknowledge the invaluable contributions of domestic workers and to recognise that since 2020, domestic workers are now protected under the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases (COID) Act 10 of 2022 as amended. The event was held at the Emperor’s Palace in Johannesburg and was attended by over 1000 people including domestic workers and trade union members.

SERI’s Executive Director Nomzamo Zondo delivered a message of support, in which she reflected on the Mahlangu v The Minister of Labour case and the significance of its inclusion of domestic workers under COIDA. She also acknowledged the important role played by the various domestic worker trade unions in spreading awareness to domestic workers about their rights and providing support in instances of labour disputes.  

Additional messages of support and solidarity were shared by the Commission for Mediation, Conciliation, and Arbitration (CCMA), the Federation of Unions of South Africa (FEDUSA), the National Council of Trade Unions (NACTU), the South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU), and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU).

At the event, SERI also had a stall where Yongeza Mbimbi and Cheriese Dilrajh distributed approximately 600 factsheets, 150 employer guides, and 150 domestic worker rights guides and had the opportunity to engage with the domestic workers present.

On 9 May 2024, SERI's Jason Brickhill spoke to 18 young graduates about SERI's work in instances of significant constitutional non-adherence by the state and what work SERI deems important to strengthen democracy and accountability in South Africa. The young graduates are currently fellows of the Auwal Socio-Economic Research Institute (ASRI) Future Leaders Programme. Jason spoke alongside Lawson Naidoo of the Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution (CASAC). ASRI director of research Angelo Fick facilitated the discussion and the young graduates had an opportunity to ask questions and share their views of the topic.

Jason and Lawson discussed the nature of SERI and CASAC's work particularly their use of litigation as a tool to protect and advance constitutional rights. Discussing the importance of protecting the Constitution, Lawson Naidoo said, "the Constitution is only as powerful as it is used" and that "unless the Constitution has an impact on people’s lives, they are not going to care about it."

Both Jason and Lawson reflected on the changing context in which SERI and CASAC now work and about how there are new challenges for civil society and grassroots movements on the frontlines, in particular. They also briefly reflected on the importance of voting and the significance of the upcoming national elections in May 2024.

Jason also discussed the nature of SERI's work and the use of research, advocacy, and litigation as tools to advance socio-economic rights. He then reflected on the nature of SERI's litigation which is typically made up of a combination of "fast and slow litigation". Many of SERI's cases require swift intervention such as in cases of unlawful evictions, the disconnection of basic services or unwarranted arrests, however, another significant portion of SERI's litigation is much more protracted and is usually strategically focused to achieve meaningful progression and development of the law.