Landmark Tafelberg case heads to ConCourt, Corruption Index release and other events in civil society

On Tuesday, 11 February 2025 at 7.01 am the Anti-corruption movement Transparency International will release its annual Corruption Perceptions Index, focusing on how corruption undermines global climate action, showing how the countries most in need of climate finance face governance and corruption challenges.

According to Corruption Watch, the 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index, which assesses how countries responded to corruption over the past year by reviewing progress and failures, points to corruption in the form of undue influence and how it is limiting the ambition of wealthy nations to tackle the climate crisis and protect the most vulnerable populations.

The index will be published on Corruption Watch’s website.



Also on Tuesday, 11 February, the landmark Tafelberg case will head to the Constitutional Court, where Ndifuna Ukwazi and Reclaim the City will appeal against the Supreme Court of Appeal’s ruling in favour of the Western Cape government.

The Tafelberg matter began when the Western Cape government sold the Tafelberg site in Sea Point, which sparked a legal battle in which the Western Cape Division of the High Court set aside the province’s sale of the Tafelberg site, declaring that the Western Cape government and City of Cape Town had failed to redress apartheid spatial planning in the city. 

The Supreme Court of Appeal overturned the high court’s judgment and orders, a ruling that Ndifuna Ukwazi and Reclaim the City will appeal.



On Wednesday, 12 February at 6.20 pm,  the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag) will host a webinar in conjunction with Teen Suicide Prevention Week.

During the webinar titled “Breaking the Silence: How to Talk, Listen, and Support a Teen Through Tough Times”, Sibongile Monareng, the Director of Psychosocial Support at the Department of Basic Education, and Johanna Kleovoulou, a clinical psychologist, will unpack how to create a safe space for open conversations, ways to listen with empathy, and what to do next after a teen opens up about their struggles.

Register to join the discussion at this link.



On Thursday, 13 February at 5 pm the International Network of Civil Liberties Organisations will host a webinar titled “Eyes on the Watchers: Challenging the Rise of Police Facial Recognition”.

The project examines the use of facial recognition technology by the police and unpacks principles to reduce the human rights harms of facial recognition technology.

“Eyes on the Watchers: Challenging the Rise of Police Facial Recognition calls for a thorough re-evaluation of facial recognition technology use in law enforcement. The increasing integration of state surveillance systems, the potential for misuse, and the ongoing impact on individual freedoms demand critical scrutiny. To support this effort, we have developed a set of principles based on a documented analysis of the technology, its applications, risks, and harms, alongside human rights standards and legal frameworks,” the network said.

Register to join the discussion at this link.



Registration is now open for the 17th Nelson Mandela World Human Rights Moot Court Competition.

Undergraduate and master’s students from any university around the world are invited to form teams of two and submit their heads of arguments for a hypothetical human rights case. 

The best 50 teams from the UN regions will be invited to participate in the online preliminary rounds from 6 to 12 May 2025. The 16 best teams will move forward to the advanced in-person rounds at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, from 14 to 18 July 2025.

For more information visit this website or contact competition coordinator Tapiwa Mhuru.



The Ahmed Kathrada Foundation is inviting schools and youth groups to sign up for an Anti-Racism Assembly. The initiative forms part of Anti-Racism Week, which will run from 14 to 21 March and calls on schools and youth groups to promote equality, inclusion and non-racialism.

The foundation says the assembly will empower learners to:

• Learn about South Africa’s history of racialisation.


• See beyond racial and social divisions.


• Speak out against racism and discrimination.


• Create inclusive and equitable spaces.