Nel opens Stellenbosch symposium on corruption and gender inequality
The three-day gathering brings government, Chapter 9 institutions, civil society and business into one room to examine how corruption and gender inequality reinforce each other.
Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Andries Nel addresses the opening session of a symposium on gender inequality and anti-corruption at Stellenbosch University on Wednesday, 12 August 2026.
The address begins at 09h00 at the university’s Bellville Park Campus in Bellville. The symposium runs from 12 to 14 August 2026 under the theme “Advancing Gender-Responsive Governance, Accountability and Institutional Reform”.
It is hosted by the School of Public Leadership at Stellenbosch University and the Anti-Corruption Centre for Education and Research, known as ACCERUS.
Who is in the room
The gathering brings together government, development partners, Chapter 9 institutions, civil society, academia and the private sector. Its stated purpose is to examine how corruption intersects with gender inequality and gender-based violence.
The programme features what the department describes as a number of renowned local and international speakers. Organisers say the sessions are intended to generate policy-relevant insights and to foster collaboration on accountability, institutional reform and gender-inclusive governance.
Why the two subjects sit together
Corruption and gender inequality are usually handled by separate departments, separate budgets and separate conferences. This symposium puts them in the same three days, on the argument that the two problems reinforce each other, and that institutional reform which ignores one will not fix the other.
That framing matters for ordinary South Africans because the people who carry the cost of both are often the same people. A woman reporting gender-based violence deals with police, courts and clinics. Where any of those institutions is weakened by corruption, the case is where the delay, the lost docket or the fee is felt first.
The department has not released the full programme or the list of speakers. Members of the media who want to attend are asked to confirm with Samuel Modipane. Media enquiries go to Palesa Rammitlwa, spokesperson to the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Development, on 064 933 3628.
The statement was issued by the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Development of the Republic of South Africa. The full notice is published.
Outputs from the three days, and whether they turn into commitments that outlast the closing session, will be the measure to watch.
