Speakers Inc 50x50

Prof Richard Calland: Ethical Politics

Richard Calland

Quick Facts:

Highlights:
Formats:
Audiences:
Outcomes:
Reviews: (0 reviews)
  • Travels from: Cape Town

Keynote Topics

Talent Short Bio

Prof Richard Calland teaches constitutional and human rights law, and some administrative law. He specializes in the law and practice of the right to access to information and whistleblowing protection; in administrative justice; in public ethics; and in constitutional design – largely derived from his work as programme manager of the Political Information & Monitoring Service at Institute for Democracy in South Africa (IDASA) – the leading democracy think tank in Africa – which he led from its inception in 1995 until 2003. In 2000, he founded the Open Democracy Advice Centre (ODAC), a law centre based in Cape Town, which promotes the ‘right to know’, advising whistleblowers, advocating law reform and taking test case litigation on access to information.
Prof Richard Calland has for over twenty years been working in the fields of democratic governance and sustainable development in South Africa and beyond. Based at the University of Cape Town (UCT), where he is Associate Professor in Public Law, he built and led its Democratic Governance & Rights Unit from 2007-2016. Prof Richard Calland specializes in freedom of information law and serves as a member of the Independent Access to Information Appeals Board of the World Bank. In the past, he has advised the governments of Mali, Peru, Nicaragua, Bolivia and Jamaica on transparency law reform and policy, and the Construction Sector Transparency Initiative (CoST) on matters of governance and multi-stakeholder process. In 2015, he was retained by the US Securities Exchange Commission as an expert witness in its prosecution of Hitachi under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

Prof Richard Calland

Prof Richard Calland is a Fellow of the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, and has been a member of faculty on a series of strategic leadership programmes for, amongst others, the World Bank, the African Development Bank, PWC, Nedbank, Namdeb, Network Rail and Tata. He is also the co-director of the niche organisation, the African Climate Finance Hub, supporting governments and multilateral organisations in Africa on issues relating to access and use of climate finance.

Prof Richard Calland is a retained adviser on governance and politics to Massmart/Walmart and regularly gives political risk analysis to the clients of investment banks such as UBS and Citi, and is a founding partner of The Paternoster Group: African Political Insight. In 2005, he spent two terms at Cambridge University, as a visiting scholar at the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law. In 2006, he spent a month as a visiting lecturer in constitutional law at the Faculty of Law at Meiji University, Tokyo.
He holds an LLM from the University of Cape Town, a Diploma in World Politics from the London School of Economics and a BA(Hons) Law from the University of Durham. Prof Richard Calland is a regular commentator in the media and his political column has been carried in the Mail & Guardian newspaper since 2001. Author of Anatomy of South Africa (2006) and The Zuma Years (2013), Calland’s latest book on politics, Make or Break: How the next three years will shape South Africa’s next three decades
Prof Richard Calland is also an excellent choice for Facilitation, panelist and MC
The face of power in South Africa is rapidly changing – for better and for worse. The years since Thabo Mbeki was swept aside by Jacob Zuma’s ‘coalition of the wounded’ have been especially tumultuous, with the rise and fall of populist politicians such as Julius Malema, the terrible events at Marikana, and the embarrassing Guptagate scandal. What lies behind these developments? How does the Zuma presidency exercise its power? Who makes our foreign policy? What goes on in cabinet meetings? What is the state of play in the Alliance – is the SACP really more powerful than before? And, as the landscape shifts, what are the opposition’s prospects?
In The Zuma Years, Richard Calland attempts to answer these questions, and more, by holding up a mirror to the new establishment; by exploring how people such as Malema, Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng and DA parliamentary leader Lindiwe Mazibuko have risen so fast; by examining key drivers of transformation in South Africa, such as the professions and the universities; and by training a spotlight on the toxic mix of money and politics.

Contact us at Speakers Inc and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Speakers Contact

Speaker Enquiry Form

Talent Resources

Talent Resources to download

View further speakers

Allon Raiz

Allon Raiz

Allon Raiz is regarded both locally and globally as a pioneer and maverick in the business-incubation industry. He is the founder and CEO of Raizcorp which, according to The Economist, is the only genuine incubator in Africa and which currently supports over 500 businesses. Allon is the author of two best-selling entrepreneurial books – Lose […]

  • Business Speaker
Nosipho Siwisa-Damasane

Nosipho Siwisa-Damasane

A pioneering South African business leader, mining executive, and governance expert driving transformation and inclusive growth.
  • Woman Empowerment
Judith February - Political Commentator

Judith February

Judith February is a lawyer, governance specialist and columnist. She is based at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) as a Senior Research Associate and is a Visiting Fellow at the WITS School of Governance. Prior to that she was executive director of the Human Sciences Research Council’s Democracy and Governance unit and also head […]

  • Political Commentator
Nicci Robertson

Nicci Robertson

Nicci Robertson is a renowned South African speaker and wellness consultant who has dedicated her career to helping organizations foster healthier, happier, and more productive work environments. Specializing in staff wellness, work-life balance strategies, executive wellness coaching, and stress management, Nicci has become a trusted advisor to companies seeking to enhance employee well-being and optimize […]

  • Wellness Expert
Alison Botha

Alison Botha

Internationally renowned motivational speaker and author inspires audiences with her powerful story of survival, resilience, and the triumph of the human spirit.
  • Rape GBV Survivor
Carina Bruwer

Carina Bruwer

Adventure speaker who turns extreme endurance feats into leadership lessons that fuel resilience, grit, and practical action in organizations.
  • Inspirational Speaker
Jacques Ludik

Dr. Jacques Ludik

AI leader and entrepreneur who helps companies turn machine learning breakthroughs into production scale systems and measurable business outcomes.
  • Artificial Intelligence
Andy Klee

Andy Klee

Andy Klee tenacity and talent has seen her go to international heights. She has entertained in the hottest nightclubs in some of the fastest growing cities in the world, alongside British and Australian bands, namely Hong Kong and Dubai. Andy has shared the stage with and opened performances for with great international bands including ‘The […]

  • Entertainer
Disclaimer
The profiles and images embedded on these pages are from various conference entertainers and other talent.

These remain the property of its owner and are not affiliated with or endorsed by Speakers Inc.

Fee ranges where listed on this website are intended to serve as a guideline only.

All talent fees exclude VAT, travel and accommodation where required.

Our Mission

We are your partner creating memorable and engaging experiences that go beyond the event itself.
Prospective Speakers
FIND YOUR NEXT:
CONTACT US:
Facebook Linkedin Instagram Youtube X-twitter Pinterest

Newsletter Signup

* indicates required

Intuit Mailchimp

Subscribe to our Newsletter and get connected:

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Speakers Inc Newsletter

Subscribe to our newsletter and stay updated.

We use Brevo as our marketing platform. By submitting this form you agree that the personal data you provided will be transferred to Brevo for processing in accordance with Brevo's Privacy Policy.

We promise to not spam you!

Untitled-design-10
iasb

Our Mission:

We are your partner creating memorable and engaging experiences that go beyond the event itself.
New Speakers Submissions
Facebook Linkedin Instagram X-twitter Pinterest Tumblr Youtube

© All rights reserved 2025.  Designed using Voxel

speakers inc
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.