Attention Media Houses: For Immediate Release 10 June 2020 Media Statement on the Passing of the President of Burundi, Pierre Nkurunziza The Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (IJR) would like to express its condolences to the family, friends and compatriots of the outgoing President of Burundi, Pierre Nkurunziza. The government of Burundi announced the passing of [...]
The Covid-19 pandemic revealed the deficiencies in international collaboration and multilateralism, a lack of preparedness and an effective coordinated global response. International organizations, including the UN and the World Health Organization, are dependent on the support and political will of member states. This webinar will discuss how the Post-Covid-19 world should focus on building a global [...]
The novel coronavirus pandemic, or COVID-19, has forced many of us inside our homes and asked of us to do something that does not come naturally to most human beings: stay away from each other. While social distancing- as it has come to be known- is crucial for curbing the spread of the virus and easing [...]
The excessive violence meted out to members of the public by soldiers of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) over the past weeks of the Covid-19 lockdown is fuelling racial tensions in South Africa, especially online. Their modus operandi exudes the long-lasting trauma of a country built on violence and structural oppression. During the Covid-19 [...]
Efforts to slow the spread of Covid-19 have seriously disrupted the economy, but it is informal workers who have been disproportionately affected. Not only has the government lockdown exposed how invisible the informal sector is to policymakers, but it has also created a moral dilemma for workers in that sector who must choose between abiding by [...]
One year ago, on Friday May 8, something happened that would be unthinkable today. More than 17-million South Africans lined up around the country, without any concern for physical distancing, to cast their vote in the elections. Those elections seem like a lifetime ago. So much has changed since then and it seems increasingly difficult to imagine [...]
Climate change is the greatest challenge facing humanity today. Effects of climate change are being felt all over the planet albeit in an asymmetrical manner. For a long period of time Africa has been enduring climate crisis more than any other continent mainly because of its dependence on rainfall for agricultural purposes, and its history of high [...]
The stories follow a script: countries declare a nationwide lockdown and within days helplines are inundated with complaints of domestic violence. We saw this in China, Brazil, Italy and more recently South Africa where 87,000 grievances were reported to the South African Police Services (SAPS) during the first week of lockdown. Frequently referred to as the “shadow pandemic”, the [...]
The devastating and wide-ranging effects of Covid-19 have caused the disruption of human society on a global scale. The disease does not discriminate against its victims on the basis of nationality, race, ethnicity, gender, culture, religion or affluence and it has fuelled global pandemonium. As an initial reaction, governments called on their citizens to retreat within national [...]
Attention All Media Houses: For Immediate Release 17 April 2020 IJR Media Statement: Regarding the Strandfontein Temporary Homeless Shelter The Institute for Justice and Reconciliation would like to express its concern about recent reports describing the resettlement of homeless people at a temporary shelter Strandfontein, Cape Town. The homeless population are a vulnerable group in normal [...]
