Zackie Achmat on the election results and what they mean

South African activist, Zachie Achmat expressed his views at the Hanns Seidel Foundation’s roundtable discussion regarding this year’s election results.

Achmat said the results affirmed the “enormous class and race divide” in our society due to people’s failure to vote. Over 40% of the electoral did not participate in elections. ...

Seat-winning parties, big and small, celebrate election results

On Saturday, 10 May, the African National Congress (ANC) along with thousands of ANC supporters paraded the streets of Johannesburg in celebration of the party’s success.

The New Age recently reported President Zuma’s appreciation of volunteers in assisting the election process and led thousands of supporters in song and dance. ...

The Right Not to Vote

With the 2014 elections fast approaching, some media reports have bemoaned levels of voter apathy in South Africa, with The Citizen declaring “SA Voter Apathy Worrying” (The Citizen, 4 March, 2014) and The Star calling for “Change Needed to Fight Voter Apathy” (The Star, 7 November 2013). But while ...

National Scholar Transport Policy still not finalised after five years

South Africa experiences some of the worst road fatalities in the world with about 40 people reportedly dying on our roads daily. This is usually associated with a number of factors, including but not limited to, drunken driving, speeding, reckless overtaking, and driver fatigue from long and uninterrupted driving, failure ...

Expert warns about state of higher education

Higher Education South Africa (HESA) briefed the Higher Education and Training Portfolio Committee today on the state of higher education in the country, touching on lack of student access and opportunities, postgraduate education, higher education transformation, and the challenge of funding. HESA warned that there was a lot more that ...

Breaking down the budget: Your Minister on job creation and social spending

On Wednesday, 26 February, Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan tabled the Budget in Parliament. The national budget is essentially the announcement of government’s estimated spending (dividing state coffers between the three ties of the state), borrowing and tax plans for the forthcoming three years.

Nene-Gordhan Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan has a word ...

Parliament demands inclusive education for children with disabilities

On Wednesday, 19 February, the Public Service and Administration Committee received a joint briefing by the Department of Basic Education and the Department of Women, Children and People with Disabilities on the crucial issue of access to schools for children with disabilities.

In her opening statement, Chairperson of the Committee, ...

Basic Education Committee receives briefing on 2013 National Senior Certificate Results

On Tuesday, 18 February, the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education received a briefing by its respective department on the 2013 National Senior Certificate (NSC) results with Basic Education Minister, Angie Motshekga, in attendance. The Council for Quality Assurance in General and Further Education and Training (Umalusi) also briefed the Committee ...

SONA Debate, Day 1: Opposition MPs open Nkandla(flood)gate

The first day of the two-day State of the Nation Address (SONA) debate saw opposition MPs pour scorn on Nkandlagate. Addressing the National Assembly on Tuesday 18 February, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, Lindiwe Mazibuko, said "I want to use this opportunity to send a very clear ...

Education Head responds to SADTU’s ‘declaration of war’

As well as MPs, Tuesday 18 February’s Basic Education Portfolio Committee meeting was attended by Minister Angie Motshegka and other members of her department including recently re-instated Director-General (DG) Bobby Soobrayan – this after a disciplinary process cleared him of financial mismanagement and other wrong doing as alleged by the ...