Homeless People Organise to Vote in Local Elections Analysis National Homeless Network presents manifesto to ANC, DA, IFP, and Action SA in Durban meeting By Tania Broughton
Voting Politicians Out of Office Is an Option, but There Is No Quick Fix for Local Government Failures Analysis In the run-up to the 2021 local government elections, activists Phindile Kunene and Ayanda Kota explored the reasons why local government is so broken in South Africa in a webinar hosted by Maverick Citizen editor Mark Heywood in collaboration with My Vote Counts. By Estelle Ellis
If Climate Change Is Ignored, There May Be No Heritage Left to Celebrate Heritage Month comes and goes each year, always with much fanfare around celebrating our country’s diverse cultures and history. Yet, many of the government’s proposed energy solutions pose significant risks to human life and the environment, while ignoring customary rights and risking several heritage sites. If not challenged, they will most likely leave communities across the country at a huge disadvantage. By Thabo Sibeko
Agency in South Africa’s Food Systems: Community Driven Research During the COVID-19 lockdowns of 2020, a group of community researchers, together with students, undertook a study on hunger and agency in the food systems of five locations. pdf
Transforming Cape Town’s COVID Soup Kitchens Into Spaces of Dignity – A Community Vision Article Can community kitchens play a role in moving our approaches to hunger beyond the binary of ‘charity’ and ‘market’? By Sanelisiwe Nyaba, Haidee Swanby and Stefanie Lemke
Uphakantoni: What’s Being Dished Up? Podcast The first podcast from our friends at the Food Agency Cape Town (FACT), reflecting on the stigma of hunger and the potential of community kitchens to transform a commodity fixated food system.
Hungry for Change: The Politics of Food in South Africa Dossier Not only have current food systems failed to end hunger, they are intensifying climate emissions, destroying our biodiversity and harming our health. Yet, the UN’s first international conference on Food Systems, set to kick off on 23 September 2021, looks set to entrench the status quo, avoiding the questions of power that underpin the failure to ensure the fulfillment of the Human Rights to Food and a Healthy Environment.
KZN’s Marine Treasures: Sasol Offshore Oil Drilling Sustains a Major Legal Broadside In August 2019, the South African oil giant Sasol and the Italian behemoth Eni were granted environmental authorisation to drill for hydrocarbons in the middle of seven ‘marine protected areas’. The ensuing uproar delivered no fewer than 47 appeals, which were all knocked back by the national government. But in mid-June 2021, papers were filed in the North Gauteng High Court that represent the strongest challenge yet. The question remains: will the madness stop?
Richards Bay Project Faces First Gas-to-power Court Challenge in South Africa What has been shocking for the organisations involved in challenging the Richards Bay Combined Cycle Power Plant project is that locals say they have no knowledge of it. The lack of generalised and robust public consultation has resulted in communities being marginalised and excluded from the public participation process. It’s also against the law. By Claire Martens
New, Short Earthlife Africa Video Lays Bare the Negative Impacts of the Musina Makhado Special Economic Zone (Mmsez) Ahead of Public Hearings From 28-30 April, the Delta Built Environment Consultants (Delta) will host public hearings on the Musina Makhado Special Economic Zone (MMSEZ) – a mega-industrial development proposed to be built in the Vhembe region of Limpopo.
