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?
Rising unemployment in South Africa is spelling disaster for the country's black population, reports Al Jazeera, as it highlights the prevalence of unemployment amongst youth both with and without educational qualifications.
According to Al Jazeera, a recent study claims more than half of black youths do not have a job, a situation which the government refers to as a "ticking time bomb."
Shannon de Ryhove speaks with author and journalist Hein Marais about his new book, "South Africa Pushed to the Limit: The Political Economy of Change."
History's legacy is one of the reasons South Africa's black majority lives in poverty, says Marais.
The structure of the economy, its ability to create jobs and poverty trends that date back to the 1970's were not just going to go away because we have a democratic government, he contends.
Marais says his book is an attempt to...
Saliem Fakir -
Recently I walked into a public hospital and experienced first-hand rudeness and disdain from the staff when enquiring about the whereabouts of an ill friend.
I ask for directions to the emergency ward. I am given a half-hearted answer at the reception. The person’s directions are unhelpful. They are just waves and wild gestures, as if I were a nuisance who arrived at an inconvenient moment. It is as if I never should have asked.
Eventually, I come to a ward.
I ask a...
Former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide has decided to return to Haiti this week ahead of Sunday’s presidential runoff election. Aristide has lived in exile in South Africa since 2004, when he was ousted in a U.S.-backed coup. Despite U.S. pressure on the governments of Haiti and South Africa not to allow him to return, Aristide and his family are planning to leave on Thursday.
Amy Goodman of Democracy Now is in South Africa to cover Aristide’s return trip to Haiti. She...
Is Pretoria blocking ousted president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide’s return to Haiti? Speculation is rife amongst civil society groups that influenced by US interests; this may indeed be the case.
The Haitian government has issued a passport for Aristide’s return to his home country, but Pretoria appears to be stalling on releasing the exiled president, claiming that they are waiting for “ideal conditions” to arrange his departure from South Africa.
The American...
Richard Pithouse -
Life, ordinary life, is meant to follow certain rhythms. We grow, seasons change and we assume new positions in the world. When you have finished being a child you put away childish things and move on to the next stage of life. But there is a multitude of people in this world who cannot build a home, marry and care for their children and aging parents. There is a multitude of people who are growing older as they remain stuck in an exhausting limbo, perhaps just managing to scrape together the...
