On 23 September 2025, Dr Thandiwe Matthews successfully defended her thesis, Advancing substantive equality in South Africa: Elite contestations surrounding constitutionalism, gender and the right to social assistance. Her research confronts a pressing paradox: despite South Africa’s constitutional democracy – founded in 1994 on the ideals of dignity, equality and social justice – structural inequality has not only persisted but deepened.
Using a human rights-based approach, Dr Matthews explores the opportunities and limitations of socio-economic rights as a mechanism of redress for historical injustices that are a direct outcome of colonialism and apartheid in South Africa.
She finds that South Africa's current approach to social assistance overlooks the power dynamics which impact on the realization of socio-economic rights. This oversight hinders the achievement of substantive equality.
Rewatch Thandiwe's defence introduction
- Researcher
