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UFS Winter School tackles unconstitutional changes of government in Africa

06 August 2025 | Story Tshepo Tsotetsi | Photo Born2Shoot

Winter School Law — Academics, legal practitioners and students gathered at the 2025 Winter School and Conference on Constitutionalism in Africa to engage on unconstitutional changes of government.

The Faculty of Law at the University of the Free State (UFS), in collaboration with the African Network of Constitutional Lawyers (ANCL), hosted its second Winter School and Conference on Constitutionalism in Africa from 28 to 31 July 2025.

Held on the UFS Bloemfontein Campus, the event brought together academics, legal practitioners, judges, students, and political leaders from across the continent to engage with one of Africa’s most urgent challenges: unconstitutional changes of government (UCGs).

This year’s theme, ‘Unconstitutional Changes of Government in Africa’, offered a platform for dynamic, relevant, and often difficult conversations. Over four days, participants explored the historical and colonial underpinnings of UCGs, as well as their causes, manifestations, and possible solutions. The programme also encouraged critical and policy-informed discussions that reflected a shared commitment to democratic governance, constitutional accountability, and African-led solutions.

A platform rooted in urgency, solidarity, and African solutions

There was a clear sense among speakers and attendees that constitutionalism in Africa is facing a critical moment, and that academic spaces like the Winter School are necessary not only to understand this crisis, but to respond to it. Dr Jacques Matthee, Vice-Dean for Learning, Teaching, Innovation and Digitalisation in the UFS Faculty of Law, captured the broader sentiment: “We are reminded of the power of intellectual community, of dialogue across borders, and of our shared commitment to democratic values, justice, and accountability across the continent.”

He added that what united the participants was not just “a theme of urgent relevance, but also the growing conviction that solutions to Africa’s constitutional challenges must emerge from Africa itself”. The conference, he said, reaffirmed that, “The true impact of a law faculty is not measured by rankings or buildings, but by the values it cultivates and the contribution it makes to society.” Hosting the Winter School, then, became “a living testament to the values of openness, scholarship, African solidarity and justice”.

African voices on legal and political instability

The programme was shaped by diverse African voices, offering a range of insights into the erosion and resilience of constitutional frameworks. The Winter School featured keynote addresses by leading scholars in the field of constitutional law. Prof Charles Fombad, Director of the Institute for International and Comparative Law in Africa at the University of Pretoria, delivered a lecture on ‘Unconstitutional Changes in Government: Comparative Perspectives, Patterns, Problems and Prospects’. Prof Karin van Marle, Research Chair in Gender, Transformation, and Worldmaking at the University of the Western Cape, explored ‘Unconstitutional Changes in Government: Gender Implications and Preventative Strategies’. Prof Wahab Egbewole, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, presented on ‘Understanding and Predicting Unconstitutional Changes of Government: Megatrends, Causes, Effects and Legacies’.

Khanya Motshabi, Senior Lecturer in the UFS Faculty of Law’s Department of Public Law and one of the coordinators of the conference, said the theme for this year’s Winter School emerged “almost naturally” from both recent developments across the continent and last year’s theme, ‘Confronting the “Crisis” of Democratic Constitutionalism in Africa’.

“We had a longish period of democratisation linked partly to the NEPAD initiative, but also to global geopolitical conditions… which created space for the expansion of democratic constitutionalist habit on our continent,” Motshabi explained. “And then a massive regression, which signalled us quite powerfully that constitutionalism in Africa is indeed in crisis.”

Academic responses to Africa’s constitutional crises

Reflecting on the goals of the Winter School, he noted: “We thought it incumbent on ourselves as thinkers on constitutionalism in Africa to be relevant in responding to actual conditions on the continent.” He added that the participants’ engagement reinforced this purpose: “They asked some of the most searching, hardest questions, which means that our concerns are not just parochial scholarly concerns, but concerns that respond to realities and changes in our environment.” The Winter School, he emphasised, aligns with the ambitions of the university itself: “… to be regionally engaged and to make a difference in terms of the development of our societies”.

The four-day programme included panel discussions, keynote lectures, and debates covering judicial independence, democratic backsliding, the militarisation of governance, and fragile transitions. Attendees examined not only how constitutionalism is being undermined, but also how institutions, civil society, and legal scholars might better protect and advance it.

Among those who attended was Prof Azubike Onuora-Oguno, also from the University of Ilorin. “It’s a continuation of a process I have faith in,” he said, reflecting on his second Winter School experience. “The content of the presentations has been rich, engaging, very rewarding. We’re excited for what the future holds. I’m already thinking how 2026 would look like and I can bet you, it will be a blockbuster.”

He added: “Legal cultures are different. You could see that perception and perspective from the different African countries. We need this to shape the Africa we want, building toward the ideal… The continuation of this would ensure that we are doing our bit as academics to build a robust continent where we can interrogate issues, influence policies, and hopefully ground a better Africa.”

News Archive

UFS awards honorary doctorates during its centenary week

2004-10-07

The University of the Free State (UFS) will award 12 honorary doctorates on Thursday 14 October 2004 to a diverse group of outstanding South Africans and international experts.

This will be the last in a group of 18 honorary doctorates that the UFS will be awarding in its centenary year.

The awards comprise of a number of well-known language experts and writers, experts in higher education, first-time awards in community service and development studies, as well as music.

“This reflects quality and also diversity, a spectrum of convictions as well as the recognition of persons who played a major role in changing society in the last couple of decades, “ says Prof Frederick Fourie, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS.

The awards can be grouped in the following categories:

Language and literature:

Mr Karel Schoeman (D Litt (hc)) – well-known Afrikaans author and former student of the UFS. Some of the awards he has received include the Hertzog prize for prose (1970, 1986 and 1995), the CNA prize (1972 and 1994), the Old Mutual prize (1985 and 1991), the SABC prize for best television drama in 1990, the M Net book prize in 1997 and the State President award (former President Nelson Mandela: Order for Excellent Service – silver) in 1999. It is an honor for the UFS to have this gifted and creative person among its former students. This conferment is a fitting recognition of his status as leading South African writer.

Ms Antjie Krog (D Litt (hc)) – well-known South African poet and former student of the UFS. Her popularity as poet is evident in her piercing honesty and unequalled power of expression. Some of the awards she has received include the Eugéne Marais prize in 1973, the Rapport prize in 1987, the Hertzog prize in 1990 and the RAU prize in 2000. Her writing has been translated into seven languages. She has also received numerous honors for her involvement in and journalistic documentation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) proceedings. It is therefore an exceptional privilege for her alma mater to honor her with an honorary doctorate.

Prof Jaap Steyn (D Litt (et phil) (hc)) – recently, Prof Steyn again distinguished himself as biographer whose thorough research is apparent in the published biographies of illustrious writers such as NP van Wyk Louw and MER. The numerous awards, among which the Stals prize from the South African Academy of Science and Art for the Van Wyk publication, are a matter of record. He conducted the research for this great prize-winning work as honorary professor at the UFS.

Prof Jakes Gerwel (D Phil (hc)) – Chancellor of the University of Rhodes and Director of Naspers, Old Mutual, Gold Fields and Brimstone. His doctoral thesis was published in The Netherlands under the title Literatuur en apartheid. Konsepsies van “gekleurdes” in die Afrikaanse roman tot 1948 (1983). He received an honorary doctorate from Clark College ( Atlanta), the City University of New York and Missouri in the USA, the University of the Western Cape, the University of Cape Town, the University of Natal, Rhodes University, the University of Stellenbosch and the University of the Witwatersrand. He is also outstanding professor in the Humanities at the University of the Western Cape, honorary professor in the Humanities at the University of Pretoria, and was the chairman of the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC).

Development Studies:

Dr Frederick van Zyl Slabbert (D Phil (hc)) – for his academic achievements, his endeavors for bringing about a peaceful transition in South Africa and his demonstration of the social investment role of the corporate sector. Dr Van Zyl Slabbert has received honorary degrees from the University of Natal and the Simon Fraser University in Canada. He has published seven books and various academic articles.

Community Service:

Prof Robert G Bringle (D Phil (hc)) – from the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) in the USA. He is currently Chancellor’s Professor of Psychology and Philanthropic Studies at the IUPUI and also Director of the IUPUI’s Centre for Service Learning. He is honored for his exceptional contribution to several of the UFS’s community service projects as well as his role in the advancement of a multi- and inter-disciplinary approach to academic development and the integration of service learning within the faculties of the UFS. He has also made a valuable contribution to the conceptual framework of the UFS’s unique community service policy and more recently to the advancement of a research culture regarding community service.

Higher education:

Dr Khotso Mokhele (D Phil (hc)), President of the National Research Foundation (NRF) is honored for his contribution to the South African higher education sector. He has also made a substantial contribution to the development of the research capacity of universities and technikons in South Africa. Dr Mokhele was born in Bloemfontein and matriculated at the Moroka High School in Thaba Nchu.

Prof Saleem Badat (D Phil (hc)), the Chief Executive Officer of the Council on Higher Education (CHE). Prof Badat has devoted himself to transforming and building South African higher education, and has constantly challenged the higher education sector to retain the moral basis of higher education and tackle its challenges with intellectual honesty, ingenuity, creativity and courage. He is honored for his intellectual leadership in the development of a equitable, just and quality higher education system in South Africa.

Law:

Prof HA (Boelie) Wessels (D Legum (hc)) – for his contribution to the fields of Roman Law, Legal History at the UFS. He is currently a part-time lecturer at the UFS’s Faculty of Law.

Medicine:

Prof CJC Nel (D Phil (hc) Posthumous) – for the way in which he strived for the advancement of excellent medical education in the country. Prof Nel also did pioneering work in the field of transformation in higher education. Under his guidance the School of Medicine at the UFS became one of the first medical schools to adopt a parallel-medium system of instruction.

Music:

Prof Leo Quayle (D Mus (hc)) – for the significant contributions he has made to the development of music – not only in Bloemfontein, but also on national level and abroad. His initiative, enthusiasm and dedication contributed to the eventual founding of the Free State Musicon, as well as the first symphony orchestra and the first string quartet in Bloemfontein. Prof Quayle is a former head of the Department of Music at the UFS.

Prof Jack de Wet (D Mus (hc)) – well-known for his exceptional contribution to violin tuition in South Africa. As pedagogue of international stature, he still moulds violinists who compete at national and international level. At an advanced stage of his career, he still actively conveys his knowledge, experience and distinctive insight in his field of speciality to yet another new generation of young violin teachers. Today the symphony orchestras in Bloemfontein and Port Elizabeth also stand on the foundations laid by him.

Media release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Media Representative
Tel: (051) 401-2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl.stg@mail.uovs.ac.za
7 October 2004

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