Since June 2015, activists from community based organisation the Unemployed People's Movement (UPM) have began a capacity building programme that includes research into and writing about the most pressing problems facing impoverished communities in Grahamstown and surrounds. 'But Still We Rise' is their first report from this process, and exposes the daily realities of violence faced by women across South Africa. The report is the creation of Siyasanga Bentele, Linda Gagayi, Siyamthanda Dyanti, Unathi Class and Ayanda Kota.
The articles gathered in this edition of Perspectives capture the complex and plural ways in which Africans are attempting to use ICTs to democratise democracy on the continent, the challenges they face, and the valuable lessons learned.
This report is a follow-up to the preliminary report produced by the Women’s Trust (TWT) and the Research and Advocacy Unit (RAU) in early 2014 on the effectiveness of the SiMuka! Zimbabwe, Woman, Get Counted! Register to Vote! in getting women to register to vote and to vote. This report goes further to note that whilst it is encouraging to see women turn out to vote in elections, and even more gratifying to see that the turn out can be strongly increased by woman to woman advocacy, there is always need to conduct a reality check on the actual process of the election and its outcome. This report investigates whether what happened before, during and after the elections affects women’s views of the elections and whether this differs for women in urban areas as for women in rural areas.
This review of the national budget for 2014, as delivered by finance minister Pravin Gordhan on 26 February 2014, gauges the extent to which government invests in what it has identified as priorities for the country and assesses the impact of government spending choices for the 2014/15 financial on women.
From 13–15 August 2012 the foundation co-hosted the conference ‘People’s Power People’s Parliament: A Civil Society Conference on South Africa’s Legislatures’ in Cape Town. This report aims to document the conversations and issues raised, as well as provide background information on the questions debated.
Communities across South Africa suffer a daily and persistent attack on their constitutional rights because of violent crime. The findings of this report clearly indicate that the South African Police Service has a long way to go towards becoming a democratic service that is effective and accountable, under ethical and professional command.
What frustrations are causing the youth to turn to the streets? How do they mobilise today? Are conventional politics and parties able to attract young people or do they seek alternative ways to engage? How does their political participation manifest? Have they been successful? Are the youth a political force?
The articles in this issue of Perspectives seek to reflect on the extent to which African legislatures have taken steps that mark their shift from being the “weakest link” of government to stronger, independent institutions. In essence, we ask – do African Parliaments really occupy the privileged position accorded to them in representational democracies.
Inequality remains a lived reality for many women across Africa. The articles brought together in this edition of Perspectives reflect on the strengths and shortcomings of strategies for fostering gender-responsive political governance.
