The South African Civil Society Information Service
A nonprofit news agency promoting social justice. Seeking answers to the question:
How do we make democracy work for the poor?
A nonprofit news agency promoting social justice. Seeking answers to the question:
How do we make democracy work for the poor?
Tips for watching videos: If you see a message saying that a video clip is no longer available, refresh your browser and the video should become available. If you're having trouble viewing a clip that's already streaming, let the clip play once. It will play fine the second time round.
Members of an HIV support group in Khayelitsha talk about the challenges and successes of living with HIV. Members argue that "the stigma of AIDS" is still a huge problem that must be overcome. Highlighting the tragic circumstances of poverty, members report that some people deliberately drop their CD4 count to become eligible for the state's disability grant, valued at R940 per month (about US$120). See part two of the report here.
Threatened with mass eviction, the residents of the Joe Slovo settlement in Langa, Cape Town gathered outside of the South African Constitutional Court in Johannesburg on 21 August 2008 to appeal the judgement of High Court Judge Hlophe that would forcibly remove them to Delft, a township on the outskirts of Cape Town, to makeway for the completion of the N2 Gateway Housing Project. The featured clip below (part one), is of an earlier protest at the Cape High Court where residents air their...
A South African family changes its shopping and eating habits to cope with the high price of food. For many South Africans, high food prices mean less nutritional choices and in some cases, foregoing meals all together. In the past year, the price of brown bread has gone up by 16 percent making it a luxury item in many homes.
The international superclass are people with a hugely disproportionate share of global power - who are these people and how much power do they wield? Their rise to power owes much to the effects of globalisation and the gradual reduction of trade and information barriers throughout the world. Al Jazeera asks: Does the global superclass make our governments and legal systems obsolete?
The international community seems unwilling to use the opportunity provided by the Beijing Olympic Games to demand greater respect for human rights from China. There are at least 15000 religious and political prisoners in Chinese jails and labour camps, while imprisonments, torture and deaths are on the rise. There are still said to be 130 people in prison since the Tiananmen Square protest 19 years ago.
A shop steward talks about HIV on the factory floor, highlighting challenges facing poor workers who are unable to afford treatment. She argues that it takes three months for workers to qualify for their sick benefits. Given the high cost of HIV drugs, poor workers continue to die despite the fact that they contribute to the economy.
