John Kane-Berman is uniquely qualified to look back over the enormous political and social changes that have taken place in his lifetime in this fractious country. In his career as student leader, Rhodes Scholar, newspaperman, independent columnist, commentator, and Chief Executive of the South African Institute of Race Relations for thirty years, Kane-Berman has been at the coal face of political change in South Africa.
Reports
Below is chronological listing of the reports we have released in support of our campaigns and advocacy efforts to defend your right to make decisions about your own life free from unnecessary government or political interference and counter-productive policy.
@Liberty – EED is for real empowerment, whereas BEE has failed
4 April 2017 – Whether President Jacob Zuma stays or goes in response to the public outcry over his firing of finance minister Pravin Gordhan is important for many issues, including the terms of any nuclear deal with Russia. However, it will have no impact on South Africa’s most pressing policy challenge of all – how to empower the disadvantaged, says the IRR in a new report published today.
Flashes of common sense bring out contradictions in the ANC's latest policy documents. Published in Johannesburg on 27 March 2017.
Most refugees and immigrants who come to South Africa seeking a better life, manage to do so. This report investigates how they achieve the seemingly impossible and what South Africans can learn from this. The report was released in Johannesburg on 13 March 2017.
@Liberty – Diamonds and All That: The Contribution of Mining to South Africa
15 February 2017 – South Africa's mining industry must start blowing its own trumpet. The mining sector does not get the credit it deserves for its contribution to the South African economy, says a paper published today by the Institute of Race Relations (IRR).
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.