South Africa

Russel Tribunal on Palestine

Press statement: Russell Tribunal on Palestine to convene in Cape Town’s iconic District Six

Stephane Hessel and Alice Walker confirmed as members of the jury The Russell Tribunal on Palestine will convene in District Six, Cape Town, site of a brutal apartheid-era forced removal. The land has remained undeveloped on the edge of the city since it was declared “a white group area” and the homes of black residents were demolished in the 1970s. The Cape Town session of the Russell Tribunal on Palestine – to be held on 5-6 November – will consider whether Israel’s treatment of the (...) read

date of on-line publication : 1 August 2011

Justine Peullemeulle

Medium Term Budget Policy Statement: building up to bold decisions, but time is not on the side of the poor

> Ebrahim-Khalil Hassen

According to official projections, as a society, we are unlikely to narrow the income gap, nor reach our employment targets. If there is a silver lining in South Africa’s Millennium Development Goals report it is that government has achieved or is likely to achieve in the areas of schooling, water and sanitation in terms of targets, but certainly not in terms of quality. The bleakness of the picture going forward is an important reality check to understand the policy responses from (...) read

date of on-line publication : 15 November 2010

Southern African NGO Network (SANGONeT)

2009 Elections in South Africa: The People Have Spoken

> Butjwana Seokoma

South Africans withstood low temperatures in some parts of the country to join queues to cast their votes in South Africa’s fourth democratic elections on 22 April 2009. For many, the long queues at many of the approximately 19 000 polling stations brought back memories of 1994 when they participated in the country’s first democratic elections. Unlike the 1999 and 2004 elections which were characterised by voter apathy, 2009 will be remembered for the interest and participation of young (...) read

date of on-line publication : 4 May 2009

Transnational Institute (TNI)

Public services in South Africa : transformation or stasis

> In "Beyond the Market : The Future of Public Services", Greg Ruiters, April 2006, 9 p. (pdf)

Although the South African state has shifted away from uncritical promotion of neo-liberal public management, the government continues to mesh limited welfarism with market-driven reforms. It has tried to use service delivery to win political loyalty, but this strategy has largely backfired. There is growing public awareness that the current failures and inequities in access to public services can no longer be blamed on the legacy of apartheid. Read Public services in South Africa : (...) read

date of on-line publication : 21 March 2007