Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies

Exciting news! Dr @sandrobsimon.bsky.social joins PLAAS next week for an academic seminar. He'll be delving into his work on gleaning. You can join us online or in person. Read more about the seminar and register via Zoom on this link. shorturl.at/ib81d
#PLAASAcademicSeminar

Exciting news! Dr @sandrobsimon.bsky.social joins PLAAS next week for an academic seminar. He'll be delving into his work on gleaning. You can join us online or in person. Read more about the seminar and register via Zoom on this link. shorturl.at/ib81d
#PLAASAcademicSeminar

Meeting notes: Merging Maputo National Park with UNESCO World Heritage Site iSimangaliso Wetland Park | Plaas On 25 June 2025, the Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS) at the University of the Western Cape attended a public meeting on iSimangaliso Wetland Park’s (IWP) expansion programme w...

Read our notes from the meeting and our policy recommendations as the final decision to merge these parks will happen from 6 to 16 July at 47th session of the UNESCO committee in Paris. The stakeholder consultation process closes in SA on 20 July.

plaas.org.za/meeting-note...

They said the meeting - held at Ecovillage Lodge - was inaccessible for them. Our research shows that as the park stands now, communities are suffering at the hands of authorities where conservation models are outdated and don't take community needs into consideration.

Two weeks ago, we attended a meeting in St Lucia for discussions about a planned merge of Maputo National Park with @unesco.org World Heritage Site iSimangaliso Wetland Park. One person from St Lucia was present, and people who lived in surrounding villages complained. 🧵

Call for applications: New thinking on integrating biodiversity and social justice short course | Plaas Five-day in person short course 27 – 31 October 2025 Cape Town, South Africa Living Landscapes short course webpage Applications close on Monday, 21 July 2025 Why do current conservation paradigms not...

🐘 👩🏾‍🌾 Why do many #conservation approaches find it hard to do justice to people and integrate ‘living with’ #biodiversity rather than separating people and nature? We deal with this and much more in our #LivingLandscapesInAction short course. Apply by 21 July. plaas.org.za/call-for-app...

Thank you to Prof Jose Frantz, DVC for Research and Innovation at @uwconline.bsky.social, for her #PLAAS30 anniversary wish. This message is for those who have helped us create impactful work for the last three decades - the visionaries, tireless activists, and our generous supporters. 🎉

Today, PLAAS celebrates its 30th anniversary! 🎂
Director Prof @ruthhallplaas.bsky.social says PLAAS is as important now as it was when it first started in 1995. Listen to her birthday message, and celebrate with us by sending us your wish for next 30 years of PLAAS. 🎤 forms.gle/dpGigm3HBLkn...

🍷 Are you looking to complete a PhD in land governance and value chain management in the wine industry? Our colleagues at the Centre of Excellence in Food Security at @uwconline.bsky.social are looking for your applications. Read more and apply via the link below. foodsecurity.ac.za/news/phd-fun...

🙌🏾 Our Masterclass with Prof Thembela Kepe has kicked off! If you've registered and haven't logged in yet, join us. We're looking forward to learning from your experiences. 🌱

⌚Tomorrow! Register for our Living Landscapes in Action Masterclass on decolonising conservation. Professor Thembela Kepe's research interests in Southern Africa include people-environment interactions, land rights, the politics of development projects, and the politics of land use planning.

Halala! Professor Ruth Hall appointed as new PLAAS Director | Plaas The Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS) at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) welcomes Professor Ruth Hall as the new Director of the research institute. Beginning 1 June, P...

Celebrate with us! 🎉 Our new Director, Professor @ruthhallplaas.bsky.social, is no stranger to those in the land, poverty and agrarian sectors. Read about her contributions to research, teaching & policy engagement in SA, the rest of Africa, & her influence globally. plaas.org.za/halala-profe...

Advert card highlighting PLAAS's Living Landscapes in Action Masterclass with Professor Thembela Kepe on southern Africa's examples of decolonising conservation, rights, livelihoods and access. This takes place online via zoom from 10:00 to 13:00 SAST, and includes a link to register. More information is available on plaas.org.za.

📍This Thursday
Land dispossession, racial exclusions to natural resources, & climate change means decolonised conservation is more urgent than ever. Join our online Masterclass with Prof Thembela Kepe for examples from the South.
📖 More info: shorturl.at/H3KXT
💻 Register: shorturl.at/jmsAS

A ship called Madleen: Gaza’s first fisherwoman inspires solidarity mission Madleen Kulab says she is ‘deeply moved’ to hear that a vessel aiming to break the siege of Gaza is named after her.

- not just for the only fisherwoman in Gaza, but for all fishers and people to be free to practice their livelihoods, access food, and practice their traditions and culture. www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/6/...

A ship called Madleen: Gaza’s first fisherwoman inspires solidarity mission Madleen Kulab says she is ‘deeply moved’ to hear that a vessel aiming to break the siege of Gaza is named after her.

"They may have bombed my boat, but my name will remain – and it will sail across the sea."
On World Oceans Day, Greta Thunberg and other activists on the Madleen Freedom Fortilla are reminding us as ocean researchers around the world to connect blue justice and climate justice -

What are the efforts towards decolonising biodiversity conservation, and why do its issues persist? Learn from the Living Landscapes in Action Masterclass with Professor Thembela Kepe.
🗓️ Thursday, 12 June 2025
🕙 10:00 - 13:00 SAST
📝 Register: shorturl.at/jmsAS
📖 Suggested reading: shorturl.at/1qrRf

What are the efforts towards decolonising biodiversity conservation, and why do its issues persist? Learn from the Living Landscapes in Action Masterclass with Professor Thembela Kepe.
🗓️ Thursday, 12 June 2025
🕙 10:00 - 13:00 SAST
📝 Register: shorturl.at/jmsAS
📖 Suggested reading: shorturl.at/1qrRf

Join our Cloud HD Video Meeting Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise cloud communications.

PLAAS senior researcher Dr Phillan Zamchiya will today present at Wits University's Faces of the City series. With discussant Ngaka Mosiane, he will explore middle class investments and changing land tenure relations in "rural" Limpopo. Watch at 16:00: wits-za.zoom.us/j/9581101837...

📺 There's a serious problem of misrepresentation of what the Expropriation Act is for punted in wider disinformation spread by white supremacists, which tries to legitimise US President Donald Trump's refugee status for white Afrikaners. Watch the interview here.
abcnews.go.com/US/video/tru...

Prof @ruthhallplaas.bsky.social will be on ABC News Live in the next 2 minutes talking about South African Afrikaners who recently moved to the US as "refugees". She'll expand on the timing of this move, especially as the Expropriation Act was signed in SA. Watch live: abcnews.go.com/Live

Watch the trailer for Mathonga Elizwe here, and we'll see you later! 🌱 file:///Users/admin/Downloads/mathonga_elizwe_early_teaser_v2%20(240p).mp4

Join us for our free screening next week! 🎬 🌱

A poster for a free screening of Mathonga Elizwe, followed by a panel discussion, at the University of the Western Cape on 14 May 2024 from 12:00-13:30.

🍿 FREE: Join us on 14 May 2025 at @uwconline.bsky.social
for a screening of the acclaimed 'Mathonga Elizwe - Spirits of the Nation'. Directed by international award-winning creator Tsogo Kupa, the documentary reveals the experiences of land claimants and labour tenants in their fight for justice.

NELGA Climate Change and Land Governance in Africa 2025 | Plaas The Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS) at the University of the Western Cape is hosting a short course on the Political Economy of Land Governance in Africa from from 06 - 10 Sep...

We have professionals from 13 African countries taking part in this course: 11 from West Africa, three from Central Africa, 28 from East Africa and seven from Southern Africa. Read about our programme's coordinators, lecturers and participants here: plaas.org.za/nelga/nelga-...

Today we launch a new course on how climate change and its current policies affect land governance in Africa, led by Dr Phillan Zamchiya. We're joined by Dr James Murombezi from UN Economic Commission for Africa and NELGA/SLGA partner Nanny Wiechert.

Call for applications: Africa Writeshop in Critical Agrarian Studies and Scholar-Activism | Plaas The Journal of Peasant Studies and co-organisers are pleased to announce the Africa Writeshop in Critical Agrarian Studies and Scholar-Activism 2025 29 September – 6 October 2025 University of the Wes...

✍🏿 We're looking for 25 PhD and early-career researchers to join our 8-day Africa Writeshop in Critical Agrarian Studies and Scholar-Activism. You could also be invited to our international conference on Land, Life and Society in October. Applications close on 18 April. plaas.org.za/call-for-app...

Apply: Two-day climate change and land governance in Africa training programme | Plaas Climate Change and Land Governance in Africa Two-day online training programme: 29 – 30 April 2025 The Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS) at the University of the Western Cape is...

🌍 There are many opportunities to learn with PLAAS. Sign up for our most recent one - a two-day online training programme to learn about climate change and its effects on land governance in Africa. It's a free course. plaas.org.za/apply-two-da...

Masters degree funding for 3 students: REPAiR project | Plaas The Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS) at the University of the Western Cape invites students with a strong academic record who intend to pursue a full-time Master’s degree in La...

🐂 Are you interested in nature-based solutions for resilience and adaptability in Southern Africa? Today is the last day to apply for one of three funded Masters roles at PLAAS for @repairproject.bsky.social. Read more here: shorturl.at/AkM0f

[READ] Can the Expropriation Act advance land justice? @plaasuwc.bsky.social and Tshisimani Centre for Activist Education at UWC hosted a dialogue with Minister Mzwanele Nyhontso and community voices on redressing land inequities. Read more: www.uwc.ac.za/news-and-ann... #IAmUWC

Other issues Prof Kameri-Mbote has been asked to comment on are:
- Artisanal mining
- Land courts
- The strength of Constitutions
- Conflicts in communities with hybrid rights
- Chiefdoms where jurisdictions extend beyond administrative boundaries
- Which is the best option?
#NelgaLandLawInAfrica