KuGompo City, Tuesday, 10 November 2026 – Three decades after South Africa gave the world one of the most progressive constitutions, a promise etched in freedom and forged from struggle, scholars, policymakers and civil society leaders will converge in KuGompo City, Eastern Cape, South Africa from 19 to 20 November 2026 for the 11th Africa Unity for Renaissance Conference (AURC).
Organised by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), in partnership with iYunivesithi Walter Sisulu, the 11th AURC seeks to ask a defining question for the continent: Is Africa experiencing a democratic renewal?
This year’s conference coincides with the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (1996) – a landmark in Africa’s democratic history. Over the past 30 years, the Constitution has provided the foundation for democratic governance, the protection of human rights, the rule of law, accountable government and regular, free and fair elections.
The anniversary presents a critical opportunity to reflect on South Africa’s Constitutional journey and to examine the broader trajectory of constitutional democracy and electoral governance across Africa.
Under the theme, Democratic renewal in Africa? constitutional development, political pluralism and electoral integrity, AURC 2026 will interrogate the triad that underpins democratic stability on the continent: constitutionalism, political pluralism and the integrity of Election Management Bodies (EMBs).
While many African states have adopted the formal architecture of democracy, their democratic trajectories often shift between consolidation and backsliding. The conference will explore the dynamics of political pluralism across Africa, with particular attention to political competition as a foundation of democratic processes.
Additionally, the theoretical conceptualisation of governance, leadership and institutional integrity in Africa’s democratic renewal will form a central knot of the conversation. In this context, the integrity of EMBs is critical. Their credibility largely determines whether elections are viewed as genuine expressions of the will of the people or as processes shaped to preserve incumbency.
The constitutional development process in Africa remains the central pillar for enabling the proper functioning of the state and addressing major challenges such as internal conflict, inequality, underdevelopment and pervasive poverty.
Conference sub-themes:
Papers have been accepted on the following sub-themes:
- Thirty years of South Africa’s Constitution: Lessons for constitutional democracy
- Constitutional development and the consolidation of democratic traditions in Africa
- Unconstitutional and constitutional amendments: Implications for institutions supporting democracy and good governance in Africa
- Democratic regression, political opportunism and popular nationalism in Africa
- Governance, leadership and institutional integrity in Africa’s democratic renewal
- Civil society organisations and the challenges of monitoring elections in Africa
- One-party state and political pluralism in Africa: The paradox of Africa’s governance processes
- Institutions, governance and policy landscape of managing elections in Africa
The conference will bring together some of the continent’s top experts in constitutional law, democratic governance, political science, electoral management and civil society leadership.
Drawn from academia, policymaking, election management bodies and grassroots movements across Africa and beyond, these invited speakers and panellists will lend scholarly depth, lived experience and comparative insight to the deliberations – ensuring that the conference is not only a commemoration of 30 years of South Africa’s Constitution, but a rigorous, expert-led reflection on the future of democratic renewal in Africa.
Attendance at the 11th Africa Unity for Renaissance Conference is strictly by invitation. Prior to the Covid-19 lockdown, the AURC was traditionally held in May to commemorate Africa Month and the formation of the OAU/AU. The HSRC is currently piloting the full return of the AURC to its traditional calendar, where future editions will once again be held around May, together with the Africa Day Expo.
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For media enquiries:
Adziliwi Nematandani | Cell: +27 82 765 9191 Email: anematandani@hsrc.ac.za
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Notes to the editor
About the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC)
Established in 1968, the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) is South Africa’s statutory research agency and the largest dedicated social science and humanities research institute on the African continent. The HSRC generates evidence and insights that inform public policy, support development and improve lives. Through high-quality research, strategic partnerships and research capacity development, the Council contributes to evidence-informed decision-making in South Africa, Africa and globally.
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