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FACULTY OF LAW
LRG hosted an externship project with Stanford
University’s Stanford International Human Rights Clinic,
receiving 3 final-year Stanford law students. They also
convene the final year LLB research focus group on
‘Women and the Legal System’ and an LLM course on
‘Sexual Offences”.
LRGworks on a collaborative basis with a range of external
partners, including rural community based organisations
(e.g. Masifunde, Masimanyane, LAMOSA, Border Rural
Committee, and the Rural Women’s Movement) and other
academic institutions (especially UWC, Stellenbosch and
Stanford University). They work particularly closely with
lawyers from the Legal Resources Centre. They draw
on a range of internationally recognised researchers to
supplement their own research capacity where necessary.
Permanent and Contract Staff
Senior Lecturer
1
Senior Researchers
3
Research Support Staff
1
Contract researchers
3
Administrator
1
Total
9
Permanent Staff
Ms A. Claassens
Culture and Human Rights; Land Rights; Women’s Rights;
Participatory Action Research, Traditional Leadership and
Governance
Ms M. de Souza
Researcher
Ms D. Jefthas
Researcher
Ms S. Taherzadeh
Researcher
Mr M. Jara
Accountable Government; Traditional Leadership and
Governance; Land Rights; Agricultural Production
Dr S. Mnisi
Interface between Living Customary Law and State Law,
Culture and Human Rights; Institutionalisation of Traditional
Authorities, particularly Traditional Courts; Succession
Dr D. Smythe
Law and Society (particularly the use of Interdisciplinary
Research Methods), Participatory Governance, Criminal
Justice Policy, Violence against Women
Research Support Staff
Mr C. Kavuro
Resource Administrator
Administrator
Ms S. Wright
Contact Details
Postal address: Department of Public Law, Faculty of Law,
University of Cape Town,
Private Bag X3, Rondebosch, 7701
Telephone: +27 21 650 5906
Fax: +27 21 650 5183
Web: http://www.lrg.uct.ac.za
Refugee Rights Unit
Director: Ms F. Khan
The Refugee Rights Unit was founded in 1998 as a
Project within the UCT Law Clinic, aimed at providing
legal support services to the growing number of refugees
and asylum seekers in South Africa. It has since evolved
into a fully independent Unit, with four main components:
the Unit’s Refugee Law Clinic provides direct legal
services to thousands of refugees and asylum seekers in
the Western Cape each year; the Unit conducts applied
research in refugee law and related topics; it teaches
refugee law to undergraduate law and masters’ students
within the Department of Public Law; and, it undertakes a
significant amount of targeted advocacy and training of
government officials, the judiciary, civil society partners
and refugee communities.
The close relationship between the Refugee Law Clinic’s
practice, the Unit’s teaching of Refugee and Immigration
Law courses to LLB and LLM students, and the Unit’s
research is a unique aspect of the Unit’s work. The
Refugee Law Clinic provides the Unit with a close link to
the practical application of refugee law in South Africa
and therefore directly informs and supports the Unit’s
teaching activities and research outputs. Students often
engage with the most current issues facing refugees and
asylum seekers in South Africa, including those involved
in the strategic litigations undertaken by the Refugee Law
Clinic. Students are also encouraged to volunteer at the
Refugee Law Clinic in order to gain practical experience
and fulfil community service requirements. The Unit’s
teaching component also includes the direct supervision
of undergraduate and graduate level research work in the
field of refugee and immigration law.