With only a few weeks to kick-off, South Africa’s readiness for the 2010 Fifa World Cup is evident, and tickets have been snapped up by South Africans – enthusiastic football fans and those simply caught up in the excitement. Notwithstanding the satisfaction that the “Afro-pessimists” have been proven wrong, South Africa’s successful bid for the 2010 Fifa World Cup triggered heated debates. The collection of articles gathered here presents some of these discussions.
South African companies are increasingly looking for investment opportunities in the wider SADC region in a bid to benefit from favourable international markets for minerals, in competition with western and Asian companies. These investments have social and environmental impacts on people working in, and living around, mines. This book assesses South African mining and gas companies corporate governance and social responsibilities in five SADC countries.
After the bewildering disappointment of the United Nations climate summit held in Copenhagen last December, civil society must set its eyes on the road ahead and ask “where to from here?” as the climate crisis continues apace. Leonie Joubert sat in on a round-table discussion held in Cape Town in the aftermath of the summit.
This paper pursues three closely related objectives: to review the field of international and local research which, particularly over the past two decades, has pointed to the positive causal relationship between functional school libraries and improved learner outcomes; to contextualize the current state of affairs in South African schools; and lastly, to provide detailed cost estimates which can be used as the basis for a comprehensive implementation plan.
In this publication, the Heinrich Böll Foundation presents some of its experiences, both setbacks and successes. It is just a small sample of HBS' work all over the world. HBS is very much aware that its political and financial contributions are often only part of a larger network; yet its work does make a difference – for more gender justice.
Tanzania’s mining sector has grown rapidly in recent years. This study provides background information on the industry, its impacts, and the legal and political environment of its operation. It argues for a joint effort of all stakeholders to overcome typical challenges of the extractive resource industry in Africa, in order to make Tanzania the “best performer in her class”.
In his article Henning Melber gives an overall assessment of Namibia’s probably most turbulent elections twenty years into democracy. Sections of this article will form part of an upcoming issue of Perspectives providing detailed analysis on some of the key issues around Namibia’s 2009 election.
South Africa officially entered recession in May 2009, its first in 17 years. As the global economic crisis has hit key drivers of growth South Africa’s economy has been expected to shrink by 2% in 2009. This issue of Perspectives discusses the implications of the global economic crisis for South Africa, and analyses the government’s responses in relation to social justice, gender equity and sustainable development principles.
Citizens' organisations in South Africa may have more influence than they believe - but only if they think more strategically and try harder to represent people at the grassroots. This is the key finding of this study of civil society organisations undertaken by the Centre for the Study of Democracy at Rhodes University and the University of Johannesburg and funded by the Heinrich Boell Foundation.
