The South African Research Chair in Cities, Law and Environmental Sustainability (CLES) was established in 2018 as one of the SARChI Initiative research chairs of the National Research Foundation of South Africa (NRF). The Research Chair is held by the North-West University, and forms part of the Research Unit on Law, Justice and Sustainability of the Faculty of Law, situated in Potchefstroom, South Africa. Based on its outputs and achievements over the course of its first five-year funding cycle, CLES has been upgraded to a Tier 1 Chair, and its funding has been approved for another five years, effective from 2025 onwards.

CLES is an academic institution devoted to legal scholarship and research skills development for sustainable urban development in South Africa, the broader African region and beyond.  To this end, the Chair hosts full-time postdoctoral fellows and postgraduate students furthering their studies in the intersecting field of law, governance, urban development, and environmental sustainability. While Professor Oliver Fuo has been fulfilling the Chairholder role in an interim capacity after the departure of the incumbent Chairholder during 2023, he has recently been appointed as the full-time Chairholder of CLES. Prof Fuo is an established researcher who has received international recognition for his research contributions in the field of local government and social justice, and he also has an interest in environmental law.

CLES produces and publishes relevant research of an excellent standard through postgraduate dissertations and theses, scholarly journal articles, book chapters, books, reports and policy papers; and actively participates in science engagement with policymakers, government officials, NGOs and institutions devoted to urban development and sustainable governance in order to sustain impact and relevance. You can stay in the loop about all our work and activities through our Newsletter CLES inPress.