http://www.sairr.org.za Weekly newsletter from the South African Institute of Race Relations. daily 1 2009-01-13T12:20:00Z http://www.sairr.org.za/sairr-today/sairr-today-mixed-messages-emanating-from-new-anc.html Straddling a range of diverse interest groups threatens to unravel Jacob Zuma’s ambitions to become South Africa’s president in 2009. In presenting mixed messages about economic policy, governance, and race relations Zuma risks losing support from factions on both the left and right of South Africa’s political divide. As an accomplished politician he might manage the growing contradictions for some time to come but events over the past two weeks suggest that Zuma would be well advised to lay his cards openly on the table sooner rather than later. No publisher Chris SAIRR today newsletter 2008-03-19T07:33:27Z News Item http://www.sairr.org.za/sairr-today/tertiary-education-transformation-the-numbers-tell-the-true-story-07-03-2008.html The past two weeks have seen a large amount of negative sentiment about race relations and integration in South Africa. Predictably much of this has centered around the tertiary education sector in South Africa. The Institute has gone on the record to say that racial tensions in the country have risen over the past month as indeed they have. This is not surprising considering the nature of the Kovsies incident and the fact that South Africa remains a grossly unequal society. No publisher Chris SAIRR today newsletter 2008-03-19T07:33:19Z News Item http://www.sairr.org.za/sairr-today/sairr-today Welcome to the weekly newsletter of the South African Institute of Race Relations. No publisher Karel 2009-03-26T10:39:26Z Smart Folder http://www.sairr.org.za/sairr-today/sairr-today-electricity-supply-imposes-a-new-speed-limit-on-economic-growth-14th-march-2008.html The forthcoming (March) edition of Fast Facts suggests that electricity supply constraints will keep GDP growth levels below 5% for at least the next ten years. No publisher Chris SAIRR today newsletter 2008-03-20T10:26:41Z News Item http://www.sairr.org.za/sairr-today/sairr-today-six-points-that-could-fix-the-education-system-21st-march-2008.html A number of analysts with the notable exception of the head of the Employment Equity Commission, Mr Jimmy Manyi, have identified skills shortages as a constraint on growth in the period to 2010 and beyond. Solving the crisis will require that the education department delivers a quality of school leaver to the labour market and the tertiary education sector that a growing industrialized economy demands. This will require the scrapping of outcomes based education, a greater degree of mother tongue education, re-opening the teacher training colleges, more bursaries for poor tertiary students, and handing control of schools to parents and teachers. Unfortunately there is nothing on the education horizon in either policy or delivery that suggests that the education department will act with the required determination. No publisher Chris SAIRR today newsletter 2008-03-28T07:17:37Z News Item http://www.sairr.org.za/sairr-today/electricity-price-hikes-the-poor-will-carry-the-costs.html The government through the minister of public enterprises this week announced that electricity prices would have to increased by 60% this year to avoid a 100% price increase next year. The government is correct that a price hike is necessary although it has been vague about the extent of future hikes, as Business Day pointed out this week. The government is wrong though to suggest that poor communities will be shielded from the full extent of the price hikes. They will carry the brunt of the costs. No publisher Fcronje@sairr.org.za SAIRR today newsletter 2008-03-28T13:29:14Z News Item http://www.sairr.org.za/sairr-today/sairr-today-zimbabwe-kenyan-deja-vu.html The violence that followed the recent elections in Kenya offers important lessons to other African states trying to escape effective one party rule and move towards a multi-party democracy. The current Zimbabwe elections are a case in point where the similarities to the Kenyan situation outweigh the differences. This is particularly poignant considering what seems to be President Robert Mugabe’s resistance to looming defeat, and promising this morning to “defend the revolution” at all costs, including mobilizing the war veterans. No publisher Frans Cronje SAIRR today newsletter 2008-04-16T11:57:09Z News Item http://www.sairr.org.za/sairr-today/subscribe If you would like to be sent reminders about SAIRR today please fill in his form. No publisher Alex 2008-04-10T08:43:51Z Form Folder http://www.sairr.org.za/sairr-today/sairr-today-expropriation-by-executive-fiat-11th-april.html Though the Expropriation Bill of 2008 is ostensibly to speed up land reform, it puts many other property rights at risk. For the bill applies not only to immovable property but also to rights in property and movable property, without limitation. It thus governs not only land and mineral rights but also business premises, homes, patents, and shares. It allows expropriation in the public interest by executive fiat and limits the relief available through the courts. It indicates that compensation will be less than market value and seeks to exclude damages for loss suffered. It also puts pressure on expropriated owners to accept the state’s decisions on the amount, timing, and manner of payment of compensation. No publisher Chris SAIRR today newsletter 2008-04-18T13:09:15Z News Item http://www.sairr.org.za/sairr-today/fear-and-loathing-in-the-rainbow-nation.html Two events over the past ten days each provided a useful perspective on crime and violence in our society. Together they inform a suggestion about what might be done to change the impunity with which criminals have come to operate. No publisher Frans Cronje SAIRR today newsletter 2008-04-21T13:04:39Z News Item http://www.sairr.org.za/sairr-today/sairr-today-a-great-victory-for-africa.html A week ago the Institute issued a statement that the transport of arms for Zimbabwe across South Africa would put ‘South Africa’s culpability in the Zimbabwe crisis beyond question’. Prior to 2008 the South African government’s response to such a statement would have been something along the line of old ‘kith and kin’ loyalties, white racism, and Zimbabwe’s sovereignty. Quiet diplomacy would have been put forward as the official policy and the arms would already have arrived in Zimbabwe. This time, however, something else happened. No publisher Frans Cronje SAIRR today newsletter 2008-04-25T07:38:46Z News Item http://www.sairr.org.za/sairr-today/sairr-today-south-african-solutions-for-south-african-problems-9-may-2008.html On Thursday 8th May 2008 the Institute hosted a panel of five of South Africa’s leading economists to discuss growth forecasts for South Africa’s economy. The panel was made up of Azar Jammine, Ulrich Joubert, Elna Moolman, Dawie Roodt, and Chris Hart. While they were not unanimous in all their views a number of common themes emerged from their discussion. These offer hope that better governance and policies could help South Africa’s economy recover from the shocks of Eskom, interest rate hikes, and high fuel prices – to mention but a few. No publisher Frans Cronje SAIRR today newsletter 2008-05-13T10:09:24Z News Item http://www.sairr.org.za/sairr-today/sairr-today-tyranny-of-the-majority-16-may-2008.html The Institute is greatly concerned by events in Alexandra which have now spread to other Gauteng townships. The African immigrant community in Alexandra was hounded and terrorized by South Africans angry at the presence of foreign Africans in South Africa. Reports and our own inspection of affected areas indicate that scores of people were injured and some killed and raped in an orgy of mob violence. Thousands took shelter at local police stations. The police fought running night time battles for much of the week and struggled to maintain some semblance of law and order amid trying circumstances. No publisher Frans Cronje SAIRR today newsletter 2008-05-16T08:36:00Z News Item http://www.sairr.org.za/sairr-today/will-we-ever-be-able-to-live-with-each-other.html South Africa is reeling from the xenophobic attacks that continue to rage across the country. Far from dying down, these violent incidents seem to be spreading and intensifying. These events raise important questions about our society, and paint a very gloomy picture of our national psyche. No publisher mmacfarlane@sairr.org.za SAIRR today newsletter 2008-05-23T10:07:57Z News Item http://www.sairr.org.za/sairr-today/look-on-my-works-ye-mighty-and-despair.html Crisis time has hit, and South Africa finds itself effectively leaderless. The nation is faced with challenges that perhaps surpass even those faced under apartheid, and there is seemingly no-one at the tiller to navigate the stormy waters. No publisher mmacfarlane@sairr.org.za SAIRR today newsletter 2008-05-30T09:12:47Z News Item