South Africa makes strides in lowering child mortality rate – IRR report
23 February 2016 – The IRR has identified a marked decrease in child mortality rates in South Africa and says this is indicative of improved child health in the country.
South Africa must reform to retain its ‘moderately free’ ranking
27 January 2015 – South Africa has the 72nd freest economy out of 178 countries, according to the 2015 Index of Economic Freedom published today by the Washington DC-based Heritage Foundation. Hong Kong, Singapore, and New Zealand have the most free economies in the world, while Venezuela, Cuba, and North Korea have the least free.
South Africa on brink of an e-revolution – IRR report
30 September 2014 – The report found that access to electronic communications devices and infrastructure and the use of electric communications had increased far faster than the delivery of any other type of basic service.
South Africa sees policy successes in improved mother and child healthcare – IRR
25 February 2016 – The still birth rate in South Africa has been falling sharply according to the South Africa Survey 2016 released by the IRR this month. The IRR says this is evidence of improved mother and child health in the country and is something to be celebrated.
South Africa should adopt a better foreign policy on Israel
In an article written for Politicsweb the IRR has argued that South Africa should revise its foreign policy on Israel towards one of constructive engagement.
South Africa slips in the 2016 Freedom Index
3 February 2016 – South Africa saw its economic freedom score slip from 62.6 to 61.9 in the latest Index of Economic Freedom report released by the Heritage Foundation in Washington this week.
South Africa, State of the Nation in 2018: Prognosis for Reform
7 February 2018 – “South Africa, State of the Nation in 2018: Prognosis for Reform”, the latest report from the Centre for Risk Analysis at the IRR, is a timely analysis of the fundamental steps that will be needed to convert the country’s newfound optimism at the ascendancy of Cyril Ramaphosa into the substantive and measurable gains South Africa so desperately needs.
South Africa’s bloated and costly public service – a huge political and economic problem
04 April 2018 – The latest edition of Fast Facts, ‘The Public Sector Wage Bill: Slaying the Dragon’, from the Centre for Risk Analysis at the IRR, examines the costly political and economic ramifications of South Africa’s ballooning public service.
South Africa’s employment woes set to continue – IRR report
The changing structure of South Africa’s labour market means the country is unlikely to see any reduction in its high levels of unemployment. This is one of the key findings of the latest Fast Facts report published by the IRR.
South Africa’s living standards on the rise – IRR
16 February 2016 – Living standards in South Africa have shown a remarkable degree of improvement over the past 20 years, according to the South Africa Survey 2016 released by the IRR this month.
South African broadband costs over 10 times that of the UK
9 March 2015 – The average monthly cost of broadband in South Africa is more than 10 times that of the United Kingdom (UK). However, the UK enjoys broadband speed that is five times higher than that of South Africa.
South Africans spend almost 100 billion minutes talking on their mobile phones - IRR report
A new IRR report reveals the scale of South Africa’s mobile phone revolution.
South Africans’ life expectancy improves, youth are an economic asset – IRR report
2 February 2016 – A report released by the IRR has found that the HIV/AIDS policies adopted by the government after 2007 have had a very positive effect on demographic trends in the country.
Sugar tax is a revenue grab that will have zero health benefit to SA and may worsen socio-economic circumstances
14 September 2016 - A report released by the IRR this morning shows that the proposed sugar tax will do almost nothing to improve the health of South Africans. It is rather an attempt to raise more money by a desperate government that is running short of revenue. The tax will place more financial pressure on already stressed households and worsen their socio-economic position.
Press Statement: Drug-related crime increase due to police action - 2nd December 2009
The number of active private security officers has increased by 167% in the period 1997-2007, while the number of sworn police officials has increased by only 18%, according to data released by the South African Institute of Race Relations this week. There were 192 012 more private security officers in 2007 than in 1997. Over the same period there were only 19 687 more police officials.
Press Statement: More whites wanted in defence but fewer in the police - 7th December 2009
Two departments of the security cluster aim to implement employment equity targets that have contradictory objectives. One wants to increase the proportion of white people in its ranks while the other intends to do the exact opposite.
Sustainability of South Africa's social services net in doubt
4 June 2015 – The proportion of the national budget spent on social services has increased from 45% in 1994/95 to 60% in 2014/15.
Media Release: Statement by the South African Institute of Race Relations on the arrest of Sunday Times journalist Mzilikazi wa Afrika- 5th August 2010
This morning the South African Institute of Race Relations released a statement on the arrest of Mzilikazi wa Afrika.
The best and the worst
Seven of the top ten performing municipalities, based on service delivery indicators, are in the Western Cape. Eight of the ten worst performing municipalities are in the Eastern Cape.
The draft mining charter goes way beyond the generic BEE codes
17 August - The Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) says that the draft mining charter it put forward in April this year is needed to align BEE obligations in mining with the generic codes. However, the draft charter often goes way beyond what the generic codes require, notes the IRR in a new issue of its @Liberty policy bulletin published yesterday.
