About Us
The Socio-Economic Rights Institute of South Africa (SERI) is a non-profit organisation providing professional, dedicated and expert socio-economic rights assistance to individuals, communities and social movements in South Africa.
SERI conducts applied research, engages with government, advocates for policy and legal reform, facilitates civil society coordination and mobilisation, and litigates in the public interest (the SERI Law Clinic is registered as a public interest law centre).
Our thematic areas are:
See the About SERI page for more background on the organisation, read our 2010/2011 Annual Report (April 2011) or check out our May 2011, August 2011 and December 2011 newsletters.
Contact Us
6th floor Aspern House
54 De Korte Street
Braamfontein 2001
Johannesburg
South Africa
Reception: +27 11 356 5860
Fax: +27 11 339 5950
Campaigns
SERI is part of the ICESCR Ratification Campaign, supports the Right to Know Campaign, and is a joint initiator of Making Local Government Work: An Activist's Guide.
Who
Where
What
How
Latest News
-
SERI launches application to force implementation of Siyanda court order, 7 February 2012. SERI seeks an order against the Executive Mayor of eThekwini (Durban), together with two other senior officials in their personal capacities, to take all the steps necessary to implement a court order requiring housing to be provided to 37 occupants of the Richmond Farm Transit Camp in KwaMashu. If argued, the Mchunu case will be important because it will establish whether individual officebearers can be held personally responsible for the state’s failure to perform on specific obligations. >>Read more here.
-
SERI admitted as amicus curiae in the Sebola case, 2 February 2012. On 14 February 2012, the Constitutional Court heard the Sebola case, which involves a lay litigant whose house was attached for sale-in-execution of his mortgage bond he concluded with a bank, without him receiving a summons or a section 129 notice required in terms of the National Credit Act. >>Read more on the case and SERI's submissions here.
-
Judgment handed down in F vs Minister of Safety and Security, 15 December 2011. Judgment has been handed down by the Con Court in F v Minister of Safety and Security, reversing a decision by the SCA and finding the Minister of Police vicariously liable for the damages suffered by a woman who was raped by a police officer on stand-by duty. SERI represented the Institute for Security Studies, who were admitted as amicus curiae in the case. >>Read more here.
-
Op-ed: "In defence of the Concourt", 14 December 2011. The Star newspaper has published an op-ed by Jackie Dugard and Kate Tissington on the recent spate of progressive housing-related rulings in the Consitituional Court (Blue Moonlight, Pheko, Mooiplaats and Skurweplaas). >>Read the op-ed here.
-
uMngeni Municipality ordered to provide housing to residents of Tumbleweed informal settlement, 12 December 2011. The Pietermaritzburg High Court ordered uMngeni Municipality to provide land, water, sanitation and temporary housing to 47 families living in the Tumbleweed informal settlement near Howick, KwaZulu-Natal. The order was granted by agreement between the residents and the municipality, with the assistance of SERI and Abahlali baseMjondolo. >>Read more here.
-
High Court orders municipality to provide water and sanitation at Langaville informal settlements, 6 December 2011. The South Gauteng High Court has handed down an order in the Mtungwa case, ordering the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality to provide a certain number of additional standpipes and chemical toilets at the Langaville settlements by no later than 16 January 2012. >>Read more on the case here.