Read President Jacob Zuma's 2015 State of the Nation speech here:

State of the Nation Address by His Excellency Jacob G Zuma, President of the Republic of South Africa on the occasion of the Joint Sitting Of Parliament Cape Town,

The Speaker of the National Assembly, The Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly and ...

Support MY VOTE COUNTS “No-to-secrecy” campaign

MVC

On 16 July 2014, MVC lodged an application at the Constitutional Court (the Court), asking that the Court declare Parliament's failure to enact national legislation to regulate private funding of political parties unconstitutional. This application is a key part of MVC’s work for greater transparency in politics in South Africa ...

Infographic: The state of legislative openness in South Africa

Global Legislative Openness Week (GLOW) – 15 to 25 September 2014 – has People's Assembly take a look at what constitutes “parliamentary openness”. GLOW is an initiative of the Legislative Openness Working Group of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) launched in 2011 with South Africa as one of the eight ...

Seeing red over parliamentary protocol

By Adv Johan Kruger, Director: Centre for Constitutional Rights

The Economic Freedom Fighters (the EFF) are causing an uproar inside and outside the hallowed hallways of Parliament.

Their apparent disregard for parliamentary customs and traditions have other political parties hot under the collar, while commentators stand divided on whether to ...

ODAC: Dasnois' Litigation Campaign

ODAC

The Open Democracy Advice Centre (ODAC) is campaigning to raise money to fund litigation support to Alide Dasnois, the former editor of the Cape Times, for unfair dismissal. Dasnois has been dismissed as an employee of Independent Newspapers and was removed from her post as editor of the Cape Times ...

Infographic: An evaluation of parliamentary openness

In September 2012, a global network of parliamentary monitoring organisations (PMOs) from 38 countries converged on Rome, Italy, for the launch of the World e-Parliament Conference 2012. The conference sought to facilitate discussions between PMOs on the best means of making all Parliaments 'open'; that is, to petition Parliaments to ...

More information about elections is needed

By Mukelani Dimba

On 19 June 2014, 490 Members of Parliament will hear President Jacob Zuma give the State of the Nation Address, which will also mark the opening of the Fifth Parliament. On 21 May 2014, these individuals stood before Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng to swear or affirm their ...

The electoral system: Is there vice or virtue in reform?

Ebrahim Fakir

With South Africa’s 2014 elections done and dusted, it’s an appropriate time to consider serious electoral reform or, at the bare minimum, to introduce a base threshold of support that parties must receive if the pure proportional representation system is to be retained. It is almost intolerable that ...

"Why I am spoiling my ballot"

In an opinion piece published in City Press last year, outspoken writer TO Molefe boldly declared that he was going to spoil his ballot in protest during the upcoming elections. He explained that many people have reacted in shock to his decision.

“Others think I lose my right to complain ...

Letter requests political parties reveal private funders

On Monday 31 March, My Vote Counts (MVC) and sixty mass-based organisations and NGOs including the Awethu! Platform, Black Sash, Right2Know campaign, Corruption Watch, Open Democracy Advice Centre, Western Cape Religious Leaders Forum, sent a letter to 14 political parties requesting they reveal their private funders.

According to the letter, ...