Reports

In order to bring some perspective to the 2017 SONA and subsequent media reporting, we have produced this report, which features some examples of the progress South Africa has made in the economy, the world of work, living standards, education, health, and crime. This report was published in Johannesburg on 22 February 2017.

Despite the damaging vitriol so often found on social media, race relations in South Africa remain sound, says the IRR in a report released in Johannesburg on 7 February 2017. The IRR’s comprehensive field survey of public opinion on racial issues shows that only 3% of South Africans see racism as a serious unresolved problem. Most are far more concerned about unemployment (cited by 40%), poor service delivery (listed by 34%), inadequate housing (18%), crime (15%) and bad education (likewise cited by 15%). This report was published in Johannesburg on 8 February 2017.

South Africa is a water-scarce nation, among the 30 driest countries on earth. Its diversified economy is the result of more than a century of sophisticated planning, forecasting and the development of science, engineering and technology. Sadly, South Africa has a high level of income disparity, massive unemployment and deep-seated poverty. This paper will interrogate this country's current trajectory, contextualising its historic, geographic and socio-economic reality. This report was released in Johannesburg in November 2016.

@Liberty - The NHI Proposal: Risking lives for no good reason

12 December 2016

It is now just over 21 years since the Constitutional Court abolished the death penalty. It did so at a time when opinion polls showed that most South Africans supported capital punishment. Although there is now little public debate on the issue, some people believe such abolition was a luxury South Africa could not afford. Others believe the death sentence should be reinstated and have asked the Institute of Race Relations (IRR) to review the question of capital punishment. This report was released in Johannesburg in November 2016.

In our politically correct era, we hang on the words and actions of young people with too much knowledge and too little wisdom. The consequence is a society retreating into fear and loathing. This report was released in Johannesburg in November 2016.

This report is about the things that have gone right in South Africa. It features a selection of the socio-economic successes we have achieved as a country and the many ways in which life has become better. Some people will think it an odd time to release such a report. The context is one in which the economy is not performing strongly. Too many people are unemployed. There is a great deal of corruption. Violent protests are commonplace. Questions are being asked about the future of South Africa’s democracy. This report was released in Johannesburg in November 2016.

South Africa’s transition to democracy was a brutal and violent era characterised by extraordinary political ruthlessness. This propensity for ruthlessness, which we believe still resides within South Africa’s politics, is the first of two insights around which this analysis will suggest where South Africa may now be headed. This report was released in Johannesburg in October 2016.

@Liberty - Back to the drawing board on mining law

4 October 2016

When examining South Africa’s air quality, the media and activists focus too often on mining and industrial pollution and the liability of corporations and state-owned enterprises. While this scrutiny is not wrong, it loses sight of a problem that is not only more prevalent but much more difficult to solve: indoor air pollution. This report was released in Johannesburg in September 2016.

@Liberty - Privatisation or bust

20 September 2016 - Well-run companies are seldom in the news. They satisfy the needs of their customers, making profi ts as a result. Some of South Africa’s biggest state-owned companies are seldom out of the news, however.