The Institute for the Study of Legislatures
in South Africa

The Institute for the Study of Legislatures
in South Africa

The Institute

The Institute

The main focus of the Institute for the Study of Legislatures (henceforth The ISL) is to service all the Legislatures in South Africa. The Institute will do this in these areas; research, monitoring and evaluation, community facilitation for public participation, as well as strategy facilitation for Legislatures.
In addition to this, the Institute is developing a package of interventions in the form of roundtable discussions, webinars
and specialised training interventions to prepare and support Legislatures and Communities for public participation. Most importantly The ISL seeks to serve as a link between its main clients (the Legislatures), Communities as well as Research institutions.

The purpose is to use knowledge and research skills of Universities and Research institutes to strengthen the public participation work of Legislatures while on the other hand tapping on the experience and knowledge from Legislatures to enrich the curriculum and research work of Universities. Out of this interface, solid strategies for community engagement, community education and support in all areas of public participation will be developed and refined over time.


VISION

To be a reliable, prompt and visible point of interface between Citizens, Legislatures and Universities in order to actively promote dialogic democracy and support excellence in oversight and law-making.

Mission Statement

  • The Institute has a dual function, which it seeks to realise:


    • Regarding its institutional focus on South African Legislatures, Parliamentary oversight and law making.

    • Serve as a reliable point of interface between Legislatures and organs of civil society as well as communities, on matters related to the role of public participation in Parliamentary oversight and law-making.

    • Proactively promote civil society interest and involvement in legislative matters.

  • Regarding its Knowledge and Skills Function


    • Establish and expand the learning programme on Legislatures in South Africa innovatively;

    • Develop common learning programmes and knowledge bases in cooperation with other academic institutions in South Africa and globally for and with the acknowledgement of South African realities in the Legislative sector.

    • Institutionalise monitoring, and evaluation in the work of the Legislatures in consultation with community organizations and citizens: and

    • Provide a natural home of support for existing initiatives in the Legislatures.

  • Regarding Communities and Public Participation


    • Profile the various communities before public participation.

    • Identify and provide basic knowledge and skills to groups in communities before participating in forums organised by the Legislatures.

    • Co-ordinate the interface between communities and the Legislatures; and

    • Provide a feedback link between the Legislature and community members.


About

Our Team

Board Members
Prof. Kwandiwe Kondlo

Chairman

Professor - Political Economy
University of Johannesburg
Mr. Mlungisi Menziwa

Board Member

Academia
Mr. Vuyo Njokweni

Board Member

Legislatures
Ms Palesa Thuto Shuping

Board Member

NGO(s) & Communities
Ms Debbie De Vries

Board Member

Legal

COMPANY VALUES

  • Culture - We will maintain a culture of openness, honesty, passion and mutual respect. We committed to the upliftment of communities and community involvement in democratic governance

    Quality Service – When contracted to do a task, we focus on the results required by our clients in order to deliver quality solutions that add value to their business, exceeding their expectations

    Quality People – We have a dedicated Board – they work tirelessly without any payment as the Institute is still fundraising. When we recruit the lean staff compliment, we are committed to searching for the best and most competent people and through extensive training and coaching turn them into World Class Professionals;

    Integrity - We maintain standards of personal and business ethics that exceed those required by legal and professional codes;

    Innovation - We deliver business solutions that are unique to the needs of each client;

    Commitment - We are committed to investing in the future, in order to build a stronger organisation for our people and clients.

NATURE OF BUSINESS


This is a community education for public participation organisation which also seeks to support Legislatures in the country. So, it is a Knowledge Based and Information organisation with a strong element of community engagement and facilitation. The focus is therefore on:

A People Centred Institute for Participation by the People for the People.