- Stellenbosch University is set to host a two-day conference on 2 and 3 December 2026 to celebrate the legacy of retired Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga and his impact on South African constitutional law.
- The conference will explore Justice Madlanga’s most significant judgments, covering areas such as electoral rights, equality, privacy, housing, labour law and constitutional remedies.
- Academics and legal practitioners are invited to submit papers. Selected submissions will be considered for publication in a special edition of the Stellenbosch Law Review.
Retired Constitutional Court Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga’s influence on South African constitutional law will be the focus of a major academic conference at Stellenbosch University later this year.
The Faculty of Law will host ‘The Jurisprudential Legacy of Retired Constitutional Court Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga’ on 2 and 3 December 2026 at the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study Conference Centre.
The event, hosted by Professor Sandra Liebenberg (HF Oppenheimer Chair in Human Rights Law) and Professor Bradley Slade (Acting Vice Dean of Teaching and Learning), will bring together legal scholars and practitioners to critically examine Justice Madlanga’s Constitutional Court jurisprudence and its enduring influence on South African law.
The organisers invited submissions from scholars interested in exploring Justice Madlanga’s judgments, constitutional reasoning and lasting contribution to South Africa’s constitutional democracy.
Distinguished judicial career
Justice Madlanga first served on the Constitutional Court as an acting judge from August 2000 to May 2001 before being permanently appointed on 1 August 2013. He retired on 31 July 2025 after completing the 12-year term required by the Constitution.
Between September 2024 and his retirement, he also served as Acting Deputy Chief Justice. In July 2025, President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed him as chair of the Madlanga Commission, formally titled the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Criminality, Political Interference, and Corruption in the Criminal Justice System.
Over the course of his tenure, Justice Madlanga authored around 65 judgments that have shaped South African constitutional law in diverse fields. Notable decisions include My Vote Counts (on political party funding transparency), New Nation Movement (enabling independent candidates to contest elections), AmaBhungane (state surveillance and the right to privacy) and Vodacom v Makate (reaffirming the courts’ duty to give clear reasons for their decisions).
Justice Madlanga’s work also advanced socio-economic and equality rights. Key cases include Daniels v Scribante (housing rights of farm occupiers), Bwanya v Master of the High Court (inheritance rights for surviving life partners), Ramuhovhi v President of South Africa (equality in customary marriages) and Moodley v Kenmont School (educational rights of children with disabilities). He also handed down judgments on procurement, labour law, criminal justice, electoral rights, tax, property, state accountability and constitutional remedies.
Conference to explore landmark judgments
The organisers describe Constitutional Court judges as not merely jurists but custodians of the Constitution and the democratic rights, values and institutions it protects.
They add that judges are expected to engage robustly with the values underlying the Constitution, to reason transparently about their choices and to develop the law in a manner consistent with the Bill of Rights.
Explaining the conference’s purpose, the organisers say that Justice Madlanga’s body of work offers a particularly rich subject for sustained scholarly inquiry.
The conference will explore the constitutional principles that appear throughout his judgments. Topics will include administrative law and the principle of legality, separation of powers, constitutional remedies, criminal law and fair trial rights, electoral law, equality, labour law, procurement, property law, socio-economic rights and state accountability.
Call for papers
Submissions were encouraged from both early-career and established scholars. Co-authored papers were also welcome. Contributors may focus on a single judgment, a group of related decisions or broader themes that emerge from Justice Madlanga’s Constitutional Court work.
Those interested in presenting were required to submit a 300-word abstract along with a biography of no more than 150 words. The biography should explain how the proposed paper relates to Justice Madlanga’s jurisprudence and the contribution it will make to legal scholarship.
Abstracts were submitted by 1 June 2026. Successful applicants will be notified by 24 July 2026. Registration fees and meals will be covered for selected presenters, but they will need to cover their own travel and accommodation costs.
Publication opportunity
After the conference, selected authors will be invited to develop their papers into full-length manuscripts for possible publication in a special issue of the Stellenbosch Law Review, subject to the journal’s usual peer review process.
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