Global Environmental Law Centre

01/10/2026

We are delighted to congratulate GELC Director, Prof Angela van der Berg (Joubert), on receiving a Y2 rating from the National Research Foundation South Africa.

This recognition reflects her growing research profile and contributions to environmental and climate change law and governance, including climate justice, constitutional environmental law, climate resilience and adaptation, urban and local climate governance, and climate litigation.

Her work continues to strengthen African and Global South perspectives in environmental and climate law, with a particular focus on constitutionally grounded and justice-oriented approaches to contemporary climate governance challenges.

Congratulations, Angela, on this well-deserved recognition!



UWC Faculty of Law
UWC Research & Innovation
The University of the Western Cape

21/09/2026

In commemoration of Heritage Month in South Africa, we are excited to co-host a seminar on "Heritage, the Sea and the Constitution: Unpacking the Sustaining the Wild Coast Judgment" with the Environmental Law Association of South Africa

Details of the seminar:

Date: Wednesday 23 September 2026
Time: 12:30 to 14:00
Venue: Seminar Room 1A, Life Sciences Building, UWC Faculty of Law
In-person event

RSVP: https://lnkd.in/dZCtdMv3.

About the seminar:

On 14 August 2026 the Constitutional Court handed down judgment in Sustaining the Wild Coast NPC and Others v Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy and Others [2026] ZACC 33, its final word in the Shell Wild Coast seismic survey litigation. The judgment engages meaningful consultation, the precautionary principle, climate change as a mandatory consideration in decision-making, the public trust status of coastal property under the ICMA, and the cultural and spiritual significance of the sea to Wild Coast communities under sections 24, 30 and 31 of the Constitution.

Three lawyers representing organisations that acted in the litigation will discuss the judgment:

Cormac Cullinan, Managing Director, Cullinan & Associates and Executive Director, Wild Law Institute

Wilmien Wicomb, Attorney and Lead of the Land, Food and Climate Justice Programme, Legal Resources Centre

Wandile Brian Zondo, Affirming Rights Programme, Natural Justice, and PhD Candidate in Public Law, University of Cape Town

The seminar is open to all. Light refreshments will be served. Seats are limited, so please register using the link. UWC Faculty of Law

10/09/2026

🌍 Looking to specialise in Environmental Law in 2027?

Applications for the LLM in Environmental Law at the University of the Western Cape close on 30 September 2026.

Offered through the UWC Faculty of Law and the GELC, our structured LLM develops advanced knowledge of environmental law and governance, engaging with the key legal developments and debates shaping the field in South Africa, Africa and internationally.

Students can choose from five specialised elective modules:

🌱 Advanced Environmental Law (IEL 812)
🐾 Animal Law and Rights (CLL 821)
🌍 Climate Law and Governance (CLL 818)
🌿 Constitutional Law and Nature (CLL 819)
🌐 International Environmental Law (IEL 811)

The programme is offered full-time or part-time, combining coursework with a research paper or mini-thesis. Seminars are taught online, making it possible to participate remotely.

If you are a law graduate looking to deepen your expertise in environmental, climate or animal law, we encourage you to apply for the 2027 intake.

📅 Applications close: 30 September 2026
🎓 Apply now: https://www.uwc.ac.za/admission-and-financial-aid/apply
📩 Enquiries: [email protected]

07/09/2026

Join us in person or online tomorrow for a thought-provoking seminar with Dr Maria Helena Saari on how young people, frontline communities, animals and ecosystems can be meaningfully represented in environmental governance.

Drawing on international examples of youth-led and multispecies diplomacy, the seminar will explore how more inclusive, Earth-centred approaches can transform environmental education, participation and decision-making.

Register to attend: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdaitfvIRGHAf8Tn2QkoVKVSQwj1Yt4Lf-KLYPm00f3cHV8DQ/viewform

UWC Faculty of Law

We are excited to invite you to an upcoming hybrid seminar by Dr Maria Helena Saari, PhD, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Oulu, titled “Reimagining Earth-Centred Governance with Youth and Frontline Actors: Perspectives from International Practice”.

The seminar explores youth-led and ranger-guided multispecies diplomacy as a practice of ecojustice education. Drawing on the Multispecies Model United Nations pilot in France and the KAZA Youth Diplomacy Forum, Dr Saari will consider how Rights of Nature and frontline participation can help reimagine sustainability education, environmental governance and meaningful participation across local, regional and global policy processes.

📅 Tuesday, 8 September 2026

🕚 11:00–12:30 SAST

📍 Kader Asmal Moot Court, UWC

💻 Hybrid attendance

Register here: https://lnkd.in/dFf85ZNz (in-person or online)



The University of the Western Cape UWC Faculty of Law

04/09/2026

Happy Birthday to our Director, mentor, and the visionary behind GELC, Professor Angela Joubert 🎉

Angela is an accomplished and wide-ranging scholar whose work across environmental law, climate justice, constitutionalism, urban governance, and resilience has helped advance thinking about how law should respond to complex environmental challenges. Through her research, teaching, and public engagement, she has also contributed to ensuring that African legal scholarship and experience have a stronger place in international debates.

Her influence reaches well beyond her own publication record. Under her leadership, GELC has become an important platform for research, teaching, and collaboration. She brings scholars and practitioners together, creates opportunities for emerging researchers, and has a remarkable ability to turn ambitious ideas into meaningful programmes and partnerships. The environmental law fraternity has benefited greatly from her willingness to convene people around pressing issues, ask difficult questions, and keep scholarly conversations connected to real legal and governance challenges.

Those of us who work closely with Angela also see the commitment behind these achievements. She sets high standards, has a sharp analytical eye, and brings energy and determination to everything she undertakes. At the same time, she never loses sight of the human being behind the academic. She listens, checks in, and makes space for people when they need it. Many of us have experienced firsthand her encouragement, the confidence she places in others, and her willingness to support their growth. This combination of academic excellence and genuine care is what makes her such a valued mentor and leader.

On her birthday, we recognise the influence she has had within GELC, UWC Faculty of Law, The University of the Western Cape and the environmental law community more broadly. We wish her good health, continued professional fulfilment, exciting new opportunities, and the recognition she so richly deserves.

Prof Angela is, quite simply, a force of nature, brilliant, formidable, and deeply committed to advancing environmental law and justice. Her leadership leaves a lasting mark on everyone and everything she touches.

Happy Birthday, Prof Angela!🎊🎁

03/09/2026

We are pleased to share a new contribution by GELC Director Prof van der Berg (Joubert), published on Verfassungsblog.

In “The Constitution Meets the Climate: What South Africa’s Wild Coast Judgment Adds to Climate Constitutionalism,” Prof van der Berg reflects on the Constitutional Court’s recent Wild Coast judgment and its significance for climate constitutionalism in South Africa and beyond.

The piece considers how the judgment brings climate responsibility, environmental protection, participation, culture and community knowledge into the constitutional exercise of public power, while also engaging with emerging international climate jurisprudence.

The contribution forms part of Verfassungsblog’s Law and Climate Spotlight, an excellent resource bringing together global perspectives on climate change and law.

Read the contribution here: https://verfassungsblog.de/the-constitution-meets-the-climate/



UWC Faculty of Law
UWC Research & Innovation
The University of the Western Cape

27/08/2026

We are excited to invite you to an upcoming hybrid seminar by Dr Maria Helena Saari, PhD, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Oulu, titled “Reimagining Earth-Centred Governance with Youth and Frontline Actors: Perspectives from International Practice”.

The seminar explores youth-led and ranger-guided multispecies diplomacy as a practice of ecojustice education. Drawing on the Multispecies Model United Nations pilot in France and the KAZA Youth Diplomacy Forum, Dr Saari will consider how Rights of Nature and frontline participation can help reimagine sustainability education, environmental governance and meaningful participation across local, regional and global policy processes.

📅 Tuesday, 8 September 2026

🕚 11:00–12:30 SAST

📍 Kader Asmal Moot Court, UWC

💻 Hybrid attendance

Register here: https://lnkd.in/dFf85ZNz (in-person or online)



The University of the Western Cape UWC Faculty of Law

21/08/2026

What role should universities play in responding to the climate crisis and how should they address their relationships with the fossil fuel industry?

Following the online launch in May of “Carbon Captured? A Preliminary Review of Fossil Fuel Industry Influence and Greenwashing on SA Campuses”, the Global Environmental Law Centre and Fossil Free South Africa invite you to an in-person talk and workshop at the University of the Western Cape.

Date: Wednesday, 26 August 2026
Time: 15:30–17:30
Venue: SEM 1A and 1B, Life Sciences Building, University of the Western Cape
RSVP: https://lnkd.in/djVipyBr

The event will unpack the report’s key findings and recommendations and open a cross-university conversation about higher education’s role in the planetary crisis, South Africa’s transition to renewable energy and the protection of academic integrity.

The report examines partnerships between South African universities and the fossil fuel industry and calls for proactive steps to ensure that higher education provides meaningful leadership on climate action and justice. Read the report: https://lnkd.in/d8eYDwQi

UWC Faculty of Law

20/08/2026

GELC Director Prof Angela van der Berg has published a new piece in The Conversation Africa examining the significance of the Constitutional Court’s landmark Sustaining the Wild Coast judgment for climate justice in South Africa.

The article considers what this important judgment means for South African climate law, constitutional environmental rights and the growing international movement towards climate accountability.

🌍 Read the full article in The Conversation Africa:

https://theconversation.com/south-africas-top-court-blocked-shells-wild-coast-oil-search-why-it-matters-for-climate-justice-289949?utm_medium=article_clipboard_share&utm_source=theconversation.com



UWC Faculty of Law
The University of the Western Cape

South Africa’s first climate case at the Constitutional Court has blocked Shell’s oil and gas exploration off the Wild Coast, protecting coastal communities.

27/07/2026

The Global Environmental Law Centre (GELC), UWC Faculty of Law, and The University of the Western Cape were proudly represented at the 3rd Annual National Multidisciplinary Postgraduate Student Conference, hosted by the Stellenbosch University Chair in Urban Law & Sustainability Governance
on 24–25 July 2026.

Held under the theme "Fostering Radical Hope in South Africa within the Context of Global Environmental Crises: The Role of Law and Governance", the conference brought together postgraduate researchers from universities across South Africa to engage in interdisciplinary discussions on pressing legal, environmental and governance challenges.

We are especially proud of our current GELC postgraduate students who presented their research:

🌿 Lesai Seema 'Natural Persons: The Legal Personhood of Nature',
🌿 Celeste Viljoen 'Towards More-than-Human Cities: Nature-Based Solutions and Multispecies Justice as Radical Hope in South African Urban Law', and
🌿 Liza Volkwyn 'Digging Deeper: Mining Rights and Opportunities for Rights of Nature – A South African West Coast Mining Conflicts Case Study'.

A special congratulations to Celeste Viljoen and Lesai Seema, who were recognised as Best Presenters at the conference.

We also proudly acknowledge Abigail Buitumelo Mushendami and Gosego Mooko, both University of the Western Cape postgraduate students and former students in the LLM in Environmental Law programme offered through GELC🌿

GELC's contribution extended beyond the student presentations. Dr Maricélle Botes, Postdoctoral Fellow at GELC, participated as a panellist during the conference's opening discussion on postgraduate research and also served on the judging panel together with Dr Rochine Melandri Steenkamp who delivered a brief presentation introducing the Environmental Law Association of South Africa highlighting opportunities for postgraduate students and early-career researchers to engage with the Association and its initiatives.

We also extend our sincere appreciation to Prof Anèl Du Plessis, Dr Christiaan van Schalkwyk (LLD), and the organising committee: Robyn Bayer, Michaela O'Donoghue and Carmen Emma Walters for hosting an outstanding conference and creating a valuable platform for postgraduate scholarship and interdisciplinary engagement.

We look forward to seeing our students continue to advance innovative research and contribute meaningfully to environmental law and governance in South Africa and beyond.