A brutal pandemic, anaemic growth, huge job losses and an increasingly austere state have converged to create a sense of perpetual anxiety among millions of South Africans. When it struck, the country was ill-prepared to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic. Poor service delivery, weak oversight institutions and a depleted fiscus ensured that the state’s social capital [...]
Image: Bill Oxford (Unsplash) Human trafficking is not a new phenomenon, but rather one that has recently captured the public’s attention as conspiracy theories move into the mainstream and kidnappings become ever more prevalent in South Africa (SA). While quantifying the crime is a statistical and elusive nightmare, we can be fairly certain that traffickers consolidate [...]
On the 9th of November, pharmaceutical developer Pfizer announced the most promising results from a COVID-19 vaccine trial to date, claiming that their vaccine appears to be over 90% effective in preventing viral infection. This release is based on the preliminary results of trials taking place in over 40 000 people across six countries, including in [...]
IJR wishes to express our sincere congratulations to Ms. Alice Wairimu Nderitu of Kenya on her appointment as the new United Nations Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide. Ms. Nderitu is a former Transitional Justice Fellow at IJR, and is well known in the field of peacebuilding and violence prevention both in her home country, [...]
Material injustice continues to haunt South Africa’s pursuit of an inclusive, reconciled post-apartheid society. The results of the 2019 round of the South African Reconciliation Barometer, a national public opinion survey by the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation, confirms this in its finding that one in three South Africans believe the biggest disruption to social cohesion in [...]
As South Africa peers over the edge of a fiscal cliff, it is critical that resources be directed towards strengthening social cohesion and protecting those on the margins of society, rather than throwing billions at failed projects like South African Airways. Material injustice continues to haunt South Africa’s pursuit of an inclusive, reconciled post-apartheid society. The [...]
IJR would like to offer our sincere congratulations to the World Food Programme for winning the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize! Conflict is one of the biggest drivers of the worldwide hunger plight, yet while our communities live in poverty and inequality without the ability to meet their basic needs, pursuing peace and reconciliation will remain a [...]
The optimism washed in by the third wave of democracy has seen a receding tide and with it a gradual decay of democratic institutions. Across the continent, we are forced to uncouple the terms ‘democracy’ from ‘freedom’ and ‘democratic institutions’. Whilst many African countries continue to uphold the mirage of an electoral democracy, it takes a [...]
IJR is regularly asked to intervene in schools, both public and private, to assist with incidents of racism or persistent structural racism in schools. It would seem that while the country has a great constitution, the education systems which exist have not been transformed. We often hear pupils and teachers alike speak of the toxic racial environments [...]
IJR continues its exciting webinar series entitled "In Conversation with Communities" with the upcoming third installment featuring members of the Siyakha Forum. You are welcome to join us on Tuesday 29 September, 2020, 2pm. Link to join: http://ow.ly/wmcy50Bup25
