• Provincial Information Service

The primary objective of this project is to provide information which is often difficult to access and interpret in a way that facilitates the strengthening of provincial government. This is done by providing all members of provincial government and their support staff with access to the publications and services of the South African Institute of Race Relations. Members of provincial legislatures are also able to submit queries via a dedicated Provincial Outreach Officer which are answered within 24 hours.

The Provincial Information Service is designed to serve both development and democracy in South Africa. This is done by providing essential information on all facets of South African development to members of the provincial legislatures (MPLs). Data derived from both official and unofficial sources is provided in developmental areas such as demographics, the economy, poverty, living conditions, education, health, welfare, employment, and crime.

Providing MPLs with comprehensive and objective sets of data should empower them to monitor delivery in terms of housing, education, health care, and other social services. The service is also designed to help MPLs understand and interpret poverty, unemployment, and HIV/AIDS data, as well as keep them abreast of issues such as land reform and socio-economic rights. The project further aims to help make MPLs more effective in doing their jobs by improving their capacity with regard to policy development and equip them to engage more effectively in debates on important developmental issues. This should in turn improve South Africa’s prospects of fulfilling developmental goals and consolidating democracy and social stability.   

• Parliamentary Information Service

The Institute through funding from the Royal Danish Embassy runs an information service for MPs from all political parties. Through this service all MPs get direct access to all opinion and data published by the Institute. This service goes beyond simply providing access to the Fast Facts and the South Africa Survey and includes a data query service with a guaranteed 24 hour response time. This service allows MPs to make use of the Institute’s Information Centre by phone, fax, or email.   The Institute visits Parliament twice a year to meet with MPs informally. A formal annual briefing on trends in South Africa is also made available to MPs in Cape Town. 

The 490 members of parliament (MPs) are responsible for drafting policies and legislation that will encourage faster economic growth while at the same time reducing underdevelopment in disadvantaged communities. Specifically this includes the responsibility of confronting major national challenges such as HIV/Aids, unemployment, housing, delivery of basic services, crime, economic growth, and infrastructure development. Much progress has been made in this field since 1994 but large backlogs and inequalities remain. To ensure that South Africa’s economic and political future remains stable these need to be effectively addressed.

One of the main challenges faced by these MPs is the collection and analysis of data necessary for accurate decision making. This challenge is in turn complicated by the often cited shortage of professional resource, research, and data services available to MPs. This point was best emphasised through quoting the leader of the Inkatha Freedom Party, Dr Mangosuthu Buthelezi, who said that:

 ‘British MPs are splendidly served. Questions on any subject, for example, can be sent to the House of Commons library. Within a short period, a crisp informative answer on embossed paper is dispatched providing the public representative with succinct and pertinent information. The services available to American legislators are, I am told, equally excellent. Ready access to information is a prerequisite for any serious politician. Expensive yes, but democracy is not a cheap exercise.’

The Institute is well placed to aid MPs and to fulfil this role. It has a distinguished record of tracking progress in all aspects of South Africa’s development from the economy, business, employment, and living conditions to health, education, demographics, and politics. The Institute can therefore supply one of the key resources that the 490 MPs require in order to do their jobs.