Livity Africa’s VIP Campaign, a youth politics platform that found success engaging young people in Joburg and Cape Town with the national elections in 2014, is now expanding to the Eastern Cape in the lead up to the 2016 local government elections.
The VIP Campaign is a non-partisan movement of ...
By Raymond Suttner
In its opening words, phrased as a declaration and making known to all, the Freedom Charter embraces a claim to popular sovereignty and democratic rule, in the name of the people of South Africa. It immediately attacks the legitimacy of apartheid South Africa and simultaneously calls for ...
By Judith February
It’s becoming a matter of routine for presidential question time to be disrupted. Last week’s scenes in the National Assembly left little room for doubt - as if there was any, after the chaos of the State of the Nation address in February - that Parliament is ...
MPs will be relieved that the grueling budget vote schedule is nearing the end. This process began in February with the training of MPs on the processing of the budget votes and was followed by committees meeting with various departments and entities on their strategic plans, annual performance plans and ...
By Mosotho Moepya
Over the past few months, we have witnessed a resurgence of debate and discussion about the appropriateness of SA’s electoral system. Commentators, academics and politicians have asked whether the proportional representation system is relevant, effective and appropriate 20 years into our democracy.
Those questioning the effectiveness of ...
By Tim Cohen
The more I hear about it, the more I’m intrigued by the notion of valence politics. The issue came up acutely in the UK election, but it is of course applicable everywhere, and is increasingly relevant in SA too.
Valence politics is sometimes called competence politics. It ...
Political background: Growing up, I was involved in politics in one form or another. My earliest memory of political activity was leading a strike in Grade 5 because our teacher would not allow us to go out for break.
At university I majored in Political Science and Law, and the ...
By Steven Friedman
If you want to know why the African National Congress (ANC) will do better in next year’s local government elections than we are told, look at last week’s British elections. They will also tell you why those who call for changes to our electoral system may be ...
Political background: I am from Driekoppies Malelane district in Mpumalanga. I joined the ANC formally in 1994 whereas; I had been involved since the age of 12 years before then.
I then served in the ANCYL as an additional member in the executive structure of the Malelane branch in the ...
With no sittings scheduled in the main chambers, the committee corridor will be the main source of parliamentary action this week.
MPs will spend a considerable time meeting with various departments and entities on their strategic plans, annual performance plans and budgets.
In between, there's some detailed legislating as MPs ...