Regional Integration and Pacta Sunt Servanda: Reflections on South African Trans-Border Higher Education Policies
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17159/1727-3781/2016/v19i0a1662Keywords:
SADC, Immigration, regional integration, mobilityAbstract
The underpinning essence of being part of a regional organisation such as the Southern African Development Community (SADC) is to achieve development through integration. Regional integration thus becomes the bedrock from which the treaties governing SADC and its member states are to be interpreted. The SADC Treaty and its various protocols articulate that members should eliminate obstacles to the free movement of people, goods and services. This should include the progressive reduction of immigration formalities in order to facilitate the freer movement of students and staff for the specific purposes of study, teaching, research and any other pursuits relating to education and training. Relying on international law principles such as pacta sunt servanda, this article establishes that though South Africa has made much progress in meeting most of the SADC obligations relating to migration and education, there are still grey policy areas that fall short of SADC standards and regional commitments. It also appraises the role of the SADC Council of Ministers, the Parliamentary Forum, the Tribunal and the National Committees in addressing these areas.
Downloads
References
Literature
Alden and Mills 2005 J Mod Afr Stud
Alden C and Mills S "South Africa's Economic Relations with Africa: Hegemony and its Discontents" 2005 J Mod Afr Stud 367-392
DBE Education for All
Department of Basic Education Education for All (EFA) - Country Progress Report 2014 (Department of Basic Education Pretoria 2014)
DBE South African Country Report
Department of Basic Education South African Country Report: Progress on the Implementation of the Regional Education and Training Plan (Integrating the Second Decade of Education in Africa and Protocol on Education and Training) (Department of Basic Education Pretoria 2011)
Malamud Overlapping Regionalism
Malamud A Overlapping Regionalism, No Integration: Conceptual Issues and the Latin American Experiences (European University Institute Florence 2013)
Mansfield and Milner 1999 IO
Mansfield ED and Milner HV "The New Wave of Regionalism" 1999 IO 589-627
Maruping "Challenges for Regional Integration"
Maruping M "Challenges for Regional Integration in Sub-Saharan Africa: Macroeconomic Convergence and Monetary Coordination" in Teunissen JJ and Akkerman A (eds) Africa in the World Economy: The National, Regional and International Challenges (FONDAD The Hague 2005) 129-155
Ngandwe 2013 CILSA
Ngandwe PJ "Challenges Facing the Harmonisation of the SADC Legal Profession: South Africa and Botswana Under the Spotlight" 2013 CILSA 365-384
Oketch 2003 PJE
Oketch MO "Affording the Unaffordable: Cost Sharing in Higher Education in Sub-Saharan Africa" 2003 PJE 88-106
Paphitis 2005 CRiSTaL
Paphitis S "Book Review: Higher Education for the Public Good: Views from the South. Leibowitz, B (ed)" 2015 CRiSTaL 89-92
Pillay, Maasen, and Cloete GATS and Higher Education in the SADC
Pillay P, Maassen PAM and Cloete N General Agreement on Trade in Services and Higher Education in the Southern African Development Community (Centre for Higher Education Transformation Rondebosch 2003)
Public Service Commission Report on the Evaluation of Service Delivery
Public Service Commission Report on the Evaluation of Service Delivery at the Department of Home Affairs: Visa Applications and Port Control (Public Serivce Commission Arcadia 2008)
Rossi 1974 Int J Polit
Rossi G "The OAU: Results of a Decade" 1974 Int J Polit 15-34
Shany 2005 EJIL
Shany Y "Toward a General Margin of Appreciation Doctrine in International Law?" 2005 EJIL 907-940
Solomon Towards the Free Movement of People
Solomon H Towards the Free Movement of People in Southern Africa? (Institute for Security Studies Halfway House 1997)
Spreen and Vally 2006 Int J Educ Dev
Spreen CA and Vally S "Education Rights, Education Policies and Inequality in South Africa" 2006 Int J Educ Dev 352-362
Task Team Final Report
Task Team for the Review of the Implementation of the National Curriculum Statement Final Report (Department of Basic Education Pretoria 2009)
Wangenge and Cloete 2008 SAJHE
Wangenge-Ouma G and Cloete N "Financing Higher Education in South Africa: Public Funding, Non-government Revenue and Tuition Fees" 2008 SAJHE 906-919
Case law
Baloro v University of Bophuthatswana 1995 4 SA 197 (B)
Biwater Gauff (Tanzania) Limited v United Republic of Tanzania (International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes) Case No ARB/05/22
Discovery Health Limited v CCMA 2008 7 BLLR 633 (LC)
Government of the Republic of Zimbabwe v Fick 2013 5 SA 325 (CC)
Harksen v President of the Republic of South Africa 2000 2 SA 825 (CC)
GabCikovo-Nagymaros Project (Hungary v Slovakia) Judgment of 25 September 1997, ICJ Reports 1997, 7
Loos v Nederlandse Administratie der Belastingen 1963 ECR 1
Minister for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs v Teoh 1995 128 ALR 353
Mohochi v Attorney General of Uganda (EACJ) Ref No 5 of 2011 of 17 May 2013
Reparation for Injuries Suffered in the Service of the United Nations Advisory Opinion of 11 April 1949, ICJ Reports 1949, 174
S v Tuhadeleni 1969 1 SA 153 (A)
Sebalu v The Attorney General of the Republic of Uganda (EACJ) Ref No 1 of 2010 of 30 June 2011
South Atlantic Islands Development Corporation Ltd v Bucha 1971 1 SA 234 (C)
SS Wimbledon Case 1923 PCIJ (Ser A) 1
Legislation
Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996
Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Act 200 of 1993
Employment Services Bill 2012
Immigration Act 13 of 2002
Immigration Amendment Act 3 of 2007
Immigration Amendment Act 13 of 2011
National Citizenship and Immigration Control Act, 1999 (Uganda)
National Qualifications Framework Act 67 of 2008
Refugees Act 130 of 1998
Government publications
GN R413 in GG 37679 of 22 May 2014 (Immigration Regulations)
International instruments
Agreement Establishing the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (1996)
CESCR General Comment No 3: Nature of States Parties Obligations (1990)
Draft Protocol on the Free Movement of Persons in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) (1995)
Lagos Plan of Action (1980-2000)
SADC Charter of the Fundamental Social Rights (2003)
SADC Protocol on Education and Training (1997)
SADC Protocol on the Facilitation of Movement of Persons (2005)
SADC Treaty (1992)
Treaty Establishing a Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (1993)
Treaty Establishing the Arab Maghreb Union (1989)
Treaty Establishing the East African Community (1999)
Treaty Establishing the Economic Community of Central African States (1983)
Treaty of the African Economic Community (1991)
Treaty of the Economic Community of West African States (revised) (1993)
Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (1969)
Internet sources
Apleni 2014 https://megaslides.com/doc/2462317/implementation-of-immigration-amendment-acts-2007-and-201.
Apleni M (Director-General: Department of Home Affairs) 2014 Briefing to the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs Implementation of Immigration Amendment Acts 2007 and 2011 and Immigration Regulations - 26 August 2014 https://megaslides.com/doc/2462317/implementation-of-immigration-amendment-acts-2007-and-201. accessed 10 December 2016
CPUT 2012 http://www.cput.ac.za/newsroom/news/article/1679/
registration-assistance-for-international-students
Cape Peninsula University of Technology 2012 Registration Assistance: International Students http://www.cput.ac.za/newsroom/news/article/1679/
registration-assistance-for-international-students accessed 20 March 2015
DIRCO 2015 http://www.dfa.gov.za/chiefstatelawadvicer/general.html
Department of International Relations and Co-operation 2015 Office of the Chief State Law Advisor http://www.dfa.gov.za/chiefstatelawadvicer/
general.html accessed 20 March 2015
Gigaba M (Minister of Home Affairs 2015 Governance and Administration Cluster Media Briefing – 17 February 2015 http://www.home-affairs.gov.za/index.php/statements-speeches/570-governance-administration-media-briefing-parliament-cape-town-tuesday-17-february-2015 accessed 10 December 2016
Grocott's Mail 2012 http://www.grocotts.co.za/content/students-face-study-permit-nightmare
Grocott's Mail 2012 Students Face Study Permit Nightmare http://www.grocotts.co.za/content/students-face-study-permit-nightmare accessed 20 March 2015
Intergate Immigration 2015 http://www.intergate-immigration.
com/blog/appeal-applications
Intergate Immigration 2015 Foreign Students Get a Relief on Their Appeal Applications http://www.intergate-immigration.com/blog/appeal-applica
tions accessed 20 March 2015
Nzewi and Zakwe 2009 http://dspace.africaportal.org/jspui/bitstream/
/30593/1/RR122.pdf?1
Nzewi O and Zakwe L 2009 Democratising Regional Integration in Southern Africa: SADC National Committees as Platforms for Participatory Policy-making http://dspace.africaportal.org/jspui/bitstream/123456789/
/1/RR122.pdf?1 accessed 10 December 2016
PMG 2006 https://pmg.org.za/committee-meeting/7610/
Parliamentary Monitoring Group 2006 Minutes of the Social Services Select Committee Meeting on the SADC Protocol on the Facilitation of Movement of Persons: Department of Home Affairs Briefing – 14 November 2006 https://pmg.org.za/committee-meeting/7610/ accessed 10 December 2016
PMG 2014 https://pmg.org.za/committee-meeting/17420/
Parliamentary Monitoring Group 2014 Minutes of the Home Affairs Committee Meeting on the Immigration Amendment Act and Regulations: Key Changes and Implementation – 26 August 2014 https://pmg.org.za/committee-meeting/17420/ accessed 10 December 2016
Stellenbosch University 2015 http://www0.sun.ac.za/international/
prospective-students/full-degree-undergraduate/i-want-to-enrol-at-su-2/fees-1.html
Stellenbosch University 2015 Prospective Students http://www0.sun.ac.za/international/prospective-students/full-degree-undergraduate/i-want-to-enrol-at-su-2/fees-1.html accessed 20 March 2015
UFS 2014 http://supportservices.ufs.ac.za/content.aspx?id=119
University of the Free State 2014 International Student Fees http://supportservices.ufs.ac.za/content.aspx?id=119 accessed 20 March 2015
University of the Witwatersrand 2015 http://www.wits.ac.za/prospective/
international/11395/financial_information.html
University of the Witwatersrand 2015 Financial Information http://www.wits.ac.za/prospective/international/11395/financial_information.html accessed 20 March 2015
Van der Vleuten and Merran 2013 https://www.ciaonet.org/catalog/32478
Van der Vleuten A and Merran H 2013 Governance Transfer by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) https://www.ciaonet.org/catalog/32478 accessed 10 December 2016
Williams and Carr 2006 http://www.queensu.ca/samp/sampresources/
samppublications/policybriefs/brief18.pdf
Williams V and Carr L 2006 The Draft Protocol on the Facilitation of Movement of Persons in SADC: Implications for State Parties http://www.queensu.ca/samp/sampresources/samppublications/policybriefs/brief18.pdf accessed 10 December 2016
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2016 Ilyayambwa Mwanawina
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
.png){kind=spacer}