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?
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Jamie Stern-Weiner -
On October 13, 2014, British MPs voted 274 to 12 to recognise the State of Palestine. The abstention rate was high—just 286 of 650 MPs voted—in part because in accordance with convention government ministers abstained, in part because the Labour leadership demanded that those of its MPs who showed up vote ‘yes’ (and thus, a substantial minority did not show up), and in part because most Tory MPs were absent.
By my count, the vote broke down as follows.1 Of 56...
Women pop stars are dominating the charts these days. Hooray! This is a major victory for feminism, right?
Alas, it seems that some women are reaching the top of the charts by, ahem, less than feminist tactics.
Harriet Gibsone has made an amazing, sharp-humored video on how you too can be a female pop star for The Guardian.
Her tips include hiring a man to help you write a song, preferably about your body, because that's what you fans will want. And instead of merely celebrating...
Alexander O'Riordan -
A cursory scan of the NGO job boards confirms the widely held assumption that South Africa’s civil society organizations are struggling to get funding. Organisations appear to be in crisis, jobs are hard to get, salaries are markedly below market norms and rumours abound that established NGOs are on the verge of bankruptcy. Last month, for example, the press reported that the Treatment Action Campaign publically protested rumours it was on the verge of bankruptcy; many others are...
Fifty million people in the world today have been forcefully displaced from their home — a level not seen since WWII. Right now, more than three million Syrian refugees are seeking shelter in neighbouring countries. In Lebanon, half of these refugees are children; only 20% are in school. With wars going on continuously, the average time that a refugee will spend in exile is 17 years. On a global scale, every day 32,000 people will be displaced from their homes on average. Most...
According to this CCTV America report, unofficial election results this week indicate that Bolivian president Evo Morales has won a third term. According to exit polls, he got about 60% of the vote. His closest opponent, Samuel Doria Medina, received just 25%.
The government's economic stewardship as well as its dedication to spreading the benefits of the country's natural gas and mineral wealth to the poor has been key to Morales' re-election.
At the same time the Wall Street Journal...
Dale T. McKinley -
The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) is drowning in a sea of mismanagement, corruption, political manipulation and strategic myopia.
While this state of affairs will probably not result in an imminent ‘attack’ on the Union Buildings, as was the case in 2009 when justifiably angry rank-and-file soldiers protested over conditions of service, the ongoing fallout is much worse.
It’s hard to know where to begin but let’s start with the basics....
