US Election: Why did the polls get it wrong – again? The biggest loser of the US election was neither the Democratic Party nor Republican Party, it was the polling industry. Pre-election polls once again predicted a comfortable win for the Democratic nominee Joe Biden, but the contest is proving to be much closer than experts [...]
The IJR staff wishes its Patron, Archbishop Desmond Tutu who has been admitted to hospital this week, strength and a speedy recovery. Our thoughts are with the Tutu family.
Early this morning my phone beeps. The message is from my friend Rose in Juba, South Sudan. She is a devoted women’s rights activist.With the few resources at her disposal, she works day in, day out to contribute to building a better South Sudan for her children. Rose’s message reads: “My friend, now that you are [...]
Around South Africa there are many statues of struggle heroes and museums that contribute to commemorating a part of our divided history. Some would say that we do not need such depictions of our past, others say it is part of remembrance and collective memory is important to truth and justice. Memorialisation, put another way, is [...]
The National Planning Commission (NPC) noted this particular issue with regards to policing in South Africa in their 2011 report: "The decision to demilitarize the police force, moving away from its history of brutality, was a goal of transformation after 1994. The remilitarization of the police in recent years has not garnered greater community respect for police officers, [...]
Almost a quarter century into South Africa's political transition, most of its citizens continue to wait for its economic equivalent to transpire. Still poverty frames the daily struggles of far too many, while inequality sustains inherited asymmetric power relations that impede access to those resources that are essential to move ahead in life. In short, injustice still reproduces itself
2018 marks the 20th anniversary of the conclusion of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission (SATRC). The South African example seemed the perfect means for post-conflict societies to hold peoples and crimes accountable as a moral reckoning in building a new nation.
The transition into a democratic dispensation had bodies such as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) tasked to delve into the violence and human rights violations of the apartheid era. It was a process that was not without flaws as it separated the systematic injustices and oppressions from human rights violations
South Africa's history is marred by brutality where violence was used as a legitimate means to acquire power, assert interests and address conflict. The normalisation of violence constructed a society in which violence became a mode of communication. It became a norm
The Malan case is a powerful, meta-type example of how white violence can become victimhood and therefore worthy of protection and defence. The narrative around victimhood is that whiteness and, white people particularly, are the primary victims. We go to extremes to find redeeming factors to protect them.
