Infographic: Drought impact on agriculture

See infographic below:

drought impact

The agricultural sector is vital to many livelihoods and it is a source of employment in rural communities with a significant contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Statistics SA notes that the sector contracted 17% quarter on quarter largely due to the 2015 drought conditions.

The ...

Op-Ed: Activism is alive and well and living in SA

By Julian Brown

We do not have a crisis of activism or political commitment in South Africa. Instead, we have a vibrant, challenging, and contentious political sphere defined by grassroots activism.

If we’re to believe recent reports in the Daily Maverick, South Africa’s activists are in trouble: Zwelinzimi Vavi believes ...

The Week Ahead: Debates, heated exchanges and extensive legislative work

After a low key week, the main chambers have scheduled a broad and busy programme, which includes a motion to impeach the President, oral questions to the Deputy President and Economic Cluster; ministerial and members’ statements, policy discussions and debates, and the processing of assorted bills and statutory instruments.

In ...

Parliament discusses teenage pregnancy and education

By Rofhiwa Maneta

This week marked the midpoint of parliament’s third term. On Wednesday, parliament was host to a number of sittings directly related to young people. The NYDA presented its performance for the first quarter of the financial year to the Portfolio Committee of Monitoring and Evaluation. Similarly, ministers ...

Representation: can we question the legitimacy of parliament?

By Raymond Suttner

In its opening words, phrased as a declaration and making known to all, the Freedom Charter embraces a claim to popular sovereignty and democratic rule, in the name of the people of South Africa. It immediately attacks the legitimacy of apartheid South Africa and simultaneously calls for ...

Unite Against Corruption: Stand against corruption; defend the Office of the Public Protector

UAC

Supporters of "Unite against Corruption" are asking the public to join them, 7 August 2015, to take a stand against government corruption and to protect the Office of the Public Protector:

You can participate by:

  • Picketing outside Parliament in Cape Town at 12pm to 3pm.
  • Forming a human chain outside ...

The week ahead: The legislature's budget vote, Nkandla, committee meetings and more

Parliament has scheduled a broad and busy programme in the main chambers as well as in the committee corridor this week.

The Legislature's budget vote is the main plenary event. During their speeches last year, the presiding officers (read here and here) focused largely on the legacy of the ...

LiveMagSA: What does the National Youth Plan say about…

By Sheilan Clarke

Government hasn’t forgotten about the youth of South Africa. So much so that The Presidency created the National Youth Plan 2020 (NYP). The draft, which was approved by Cabinet on Thursday, focuses on how to improve certain areas of the lives of young people. Deputy Minister in ...

Campaign against Social Media Censorship

Amandla SOS

The SOS Coalition and amandla.mobi are currently running a campaign calling to the Film and Publication Board (FPB) to scrap its draft regulations which has been called 'the worst internet law Africa has ever seen' and could severely impact civil society organisations publishing content online along with social media users ...

IJR: Youth Dialogue and Poetry Slam on Race and Identity

IJR

The Institute for Justice and Reconciliation's (IJR) Ashley Kriel Youth Leadership Development project in collaboration with the Joseph & Evelyn Lowery Institute for Justice and Human Rights (JELI) in Atlanta, Georgia, have convened and hosted a cross-cultural dialogue project titled Crafting Change Agents. This program served as a cross-cultural ...