Op Ed | Social Justice Assembly gathers to address multiple crises facing SA
By Mbongiseni Buthelezi and Nontando Ngamlana First published in The Daily Maverick It feels as though Stage 6 rolling blackouts will be the death of us all. Scheduled blackouts symbolise…
By Ryan Brunette First published in Daily Maverick I have argued before that the practice of political appointments in public administration is central to South Africa’s corruption. It is also…
By Tshegofatso Mathe Commissioned by PARI, first published in Mail and Guardian Over the past 18 months, state-owned ports and freight rail operator Transnet has declared six force majeures —…
By Dennis Webster Commissioned by PARI, first published in Business Live System’s problems are not measured by the distance between Joburg and New York but rather in the miles between…
17 November 2022 14h00 – 15h30 Maputaland’s Ecosystem of Crime: The weight of history Presenter : Clive Poultney Discussant : Constance Galeo Mogale Abstract The paper looks at the…
10 November 2022 14h00 - 15h30 The making, unmaking and remaking of the public service – with case studies from the Covid19 pandemic. Presenter : Lisa Seftel Discussant : Alex…
By Sarah Meny-Gibert The single biggest key to fighting corruption and stabilising our administration is to change the process by which top public servants are hired – and in doing…
Call for applications: Social Justice Assembly After years of consultation and planning, representatives from across the social justice sector will gather on 26 & 27 January 2023 in Pretoria, South…
Thursday 27 October 2022 Civil Society Working Group on State Capture (CSWG) Statement: President’s response to Zondo Commission’s State Capture report must be followed by decisive action. On the 23rd…
Newzroom Afrika: Despite a court judgement setting aside the Johannesburg council special meeting that ousted Dr. Mpho Phalatse as mayor, it seems Phalatse has little chances of winning votes should…
13 October 2022 14:00 -15:30 pm Legislative Initiatives and Provisions on Traditional Leader’s Role in South Africa: Imperatives and Implications Presenter : Shimreisa Chahongnao Discussant : Dineo Skosana…
Newzroom Afrika: Sep 5, 2022 Gauteng is set to become a hive of political activity this week as Joburg opposition parties prepare to remove the mayor Mpho Phalatse. Gauteng premier…
Newzroom Afrika: Sep 28, 2022 President Cyril Ramaphosa has again called on municipal workers to behave better at local government and in councils. He was speaking at the Local Government…
The Public Affairs Research Institute (PARI) and the Council for the Advancement of the Constitution (CASAC) held a conference on the 14th and 15th of September 2022 to engage meaningfully…
Image: Bram Lammers / Dunoon informal settlement, Cape Town By Tracy Ledger In many households, a choice must be made each month between electricity or food. No matter which option…
The State Capture Commission conference was held at University of Johannesburg over 14 and 15 September, hosted by PARI and CASAC. The seven panels aimed at understanding and finding the…
29 September 2022 14h00 - 15h30 The people’s perspective of public participation in infrastructure and housing provision in South Africa: evidence from a factorial survey experiment Presenter: Katrin Hofer…
Calling in to Newzroom Afrika from PARI/CASAC's State Capture Commission conference, Devi Pillay discusses the role of law enforcement agencies in state capture, based on her OpEd titled : Zondo…
Hungry for Electricity is a new book by Tracy Ledger and Mahlatse Rampedi arguing for universal access to electricity in South Africa. We think we are free today but we…
The State Capture Commission Conference is hosted by PARI and CASAC on 14 and 15 September 2022. The livestream can be followed here from 9am to 4pm each day. Go…
13 September 2022 14h00 - 15h30 Extractive industry indigenisation, unfulfilled pledges and mining-induced displacement vulnerabilities: The case of internally displaced persons in Arda Transau, Zimbabwe Presenter: Kennedy Manduna Discussant: Dr…
By Devi Pillay The Zondo Commission missed an important opportunity to fully contextualise the evidence concerning law enforcement and to analyse its role in State Capture. More work needs…
Dr Mbongiseni Buthelezi was featured on Michelle Constant's breakfast show on 22 August 2022, and brought in PARI researcher Thina Nzo and CASAC Director Lawson Naidoo. Listen below for a…
In September 2022, The Public Affairs Research Institute is launching a workshop series to offer scholars, researchers, and postgraduate students an opportunity to share their ongoing work, either by discussing…
Newzroom Afrika - 22 August 2022 - Although corruption at municipal level is a major issue affecting service delivery, Public Affairs Research Institute's Tracy Ledger believes it is not the…
Senior Researcher Gaynor Paradza leads PARI's Land Governance programme. She is in Accra on 17 August to give a keynote address at the Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa…
PARI has issued and endorsed press statements in support of SERI SA and SAITF in light of hate speech, cyberbullying and incitement of violence by Councillor Nkululeko Mbundu, party representative…
By Devi Pillay The Commission of Inquiry into State Capture has proven that there is an urgent need to professionalise South Africa’s public administration. The commission’s recommendations provide a…
We are excited to introduce new members to the PARI team who are working on a soon-to-launch programme: Compact. Compact is a four-year project implemented by the Public Affairs Research…
PARI is pleased to welcome Lindiwe Ndlela as the new Head of Programmes. Lindiwe has dedicated her career to supporting institutional and leadership development for elected and appointed government officials.…
PARI is a signatory of the following Defend Our Democracy declaration: Declaration of the Conference for Democratic Renewal and Change as adopted on 2 July 2022 at the Birchwood Hotel…
By Thina Nzo While the coronavirus lockdown exacerbated the pre-existing spatial inequalities and the housing crisis in Cape Town, it contributed to the growth of informality and its symbiotic relationship…
SABC Morning Live: Today the country awaits the fifth and final installment of the State Capture Report following a delay that drew public criticism, prompting the presidency to issue a…
On 20 June 2022, Newzroom Afrika looked at the state of municipalities - and particularly the metros. The political problems in some metros - look at the instability in Nelson…
The Public Affairs Research Institute is launching a workshop series to offer scholars, researchers, and postgraduate students an opportunity to share their ongoing work, either by discussing work in progress…
CapeTalk's Refilwe Moloto interviewed Tracy Ledger on 29 March 2022 about the ingrained injustices and monopolies in our food system. 'These inequities are ingrained in our food system, according to…
On 24 March 2022, PARI's Land Programme Lead, Gaynor Paradza, participated in a webinar titled Women's Land Rights: Celebrating the Role of Women in the Land Sector: Reflecting on Experience,…
The Watch Dog, SABC 1, interviewed Local Government Programme Lead Thina Nzo on 8 March 2022 about the proposal for local councillors to be paid according to their performance evaluations.…
The Watch Dog, SABC 1, interviewed PARI's Local Government Programme Lead Thina Nzo on 4 March 2022 about what it would take for municipalities to deliver on their promises. Catch…
9 February 2022 We, the undersigned organisations, express serious concern about the state of our nation. Tomorrow, President Cyril Ramaphosa will report back to the country about what…
By Ryan Brunette, Jay Kruuse and Tharin Pillay The Zondo report is an impressive undertaking. Drawing on 400 days of hearings and 1.7 million pages of documentary evidence, it is…
Mbongiseni Buthelezi participated in an analysis of Part 1 of the State Capture report on Radio 786 Prime Talk, 2 February 2022: South Africans are paying severely for what appears…
Monday 24 January 2022 Civil Society Working Group on State Capture: Statement – Response to the Zondo Commission’s Report On the 4th of January 2022, the State Capture Inquiry (the…
Press Statement 23 January 2022 Collective call to stop attacks on migrants We, the undersigned organisations, are gravely concerned at the recent targeting of migrants in their homes and at…
The "Judicial Commission of Inquiry into State Capture Report: Part 1 Vol. 1: South African Airways and its Associated Companies" was released on 4 Jan 2022. We congratulate PARI and…
This Is OIS is a journey into the research topics and methodologies of the students of OIS - Organisational and Institutional Studies at Wits University.Episode 5: What's behind poor service…
APPOINTMENT OF A PROGRAMME LEAD / SENIOR RESEARCHER TO SUPPORT AN EU FUNDED PROJECT ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT PLANNING AND PUBLIC PARTICIPATION Closing date for applications: 8 December 2021 The Public…
APPOINTMENT OF A SENIOR PROJECT COORDINATOR/ADMINISTRATOR, TO SUPPORT AN EU FUNDED PROJECT ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT PLANNING AND PUBLIC PARTICIPATION Closing date for applications: 8 December 2021 The Public Affairs Research…
Local Government lead, Thina Nzo, spoke to Newzroom Afrika on 8 November 2021. 'So there are coalition negotiations underway around the country in different ways - the ANC’s national working…
Dr Tracy Ledger, Lead of PARI's Energy and Society programme, participated in this webinar hosted by the Mail&Guardian. Streamed live on Oct 25, 2021 • The Auditor-General’s reports of the…
The Public Affairs Research Institute (PARI) has released a report on its investigation of the provisions of basic municipal services to low-income households in South Africa. Overwhelmingly the poorest 50%…
By Tracy Ledger First published in Daily Maverick, 4 Oct 2021 Municipal services (electricity, water and sanitation) are intended to be a tool to reduce poverty and inequality. Providing services…
Based on the Access to Basic to Services report, Tracy Ledger chats to Chai FM about how basic services costs are making South African households poorer, most importantly at the…
It's Sophie's choice for many South Africans who must choose between water and electricity, or food. Dr Tracy Ledger shared the findings in her latest research report with eNCA on…
This PLAAS webinar on 30 September 2021, facilitated by Mbongiseni Buthelezi, aimed to reframe the post-Covid and post-unrest ‘recovery’ discourse to foreground the danger of entrenched corporate power in the…
This second session of Local Government in Crisis held on 30 September 2021, a webinar series by Tshisimani and MyVoteCounts, explores what tactics communities can and have used when municipalities…
On 29 September 2021, Mbongiseni Buthelezi presented an input into the Rebuild SA webinar, the first instalment in a series by GCRO and MISTRA. Dr Buthelezi spoke on State Reform…
Having undergone a consultative process with a small mandated and coordinating group of former DGs, PARI's State Reform has assisted this group in conducting comparative research on the best organisational…
Is there a duty on the government to provide free basic electricity to the people of South Africa, especially the poor? Dr. Tracy Ledger, a senior researcher and Lead of…
Young people are disengaged from the democratic process. Most of them don't participate in elections, they don’t usually stand as candidates and remain unrepresented in electoral managerial functions. The IEC…
by Thina Nzo It's been five years since the last local government elections were held in 2016. For South Africans, that means its time to go back to the voting…
This community announcement aims to inform households about why affordable basic energy allocations have not been delivered as promised, and what they can do about it. It is available in…
Dr Thina Nzo on Morning Live traces dysfunctionality in municipalities back to a lack of political leadership and oversight: "Accountability needs to be applied; heads need to roll" The state…
After publishing the Covid-19, States and Societies Series online in 2020, with fascinating submissions from 14 countries, PARI now seeks academic papers (7000 words) to be published as a book…
PARI, in 2020, joined Participedia, a global community sharing knowledge and stories about public participation and democratic innovations. Participedia is an open-sourced, online research tool and publishing platform for articles…
Mbongiseni Buthelezi has joined the Supervisory Board of Agora Energiewende: a think tank funded by the European Climate Foundation and Stiftung Mercator that focuses on dialogue with energy policymakers. It…
NELGA is the Network of Excellence on Land Governance in Africa. The NUST NELGA node currently has over 30 academic partner institutions in 12 southern African countries, making it the…
Dr Mbongiseni Buthelezi has been appointed to a high-level task team to assist government through the National School of Government (The NSG), to finalise the National Implementation Framework towards the…
PARI welcomes the proposed amendments to the Public Service Act (PSA) which seek to (1) devolve administrative powers to the heads of department while retaining strategic powers with the executive…
In the interview with Newzroom Afrika, Tracy Ledger breaks down the incentives for municipalities to divert funds intended for free basic services. She discusses the imbalance in the conversation around…
Congratulations to OIS students Musa Sithole and Jabu Hlatshwayo who have been awarded fellowships in the "Institutional transformations for sustainable urban mobilities in urban Africa" project, led by Dr Njogu…
As part of the Civil Society Working Group on State Capture, PARI's State Reform programme has put out a call for voices against state capture and corruption: State capture and…
On Thursday, 22 April 2021, Dr Tracy Ledger chatted to YFM about the main findings in her latest research report Broken Promises and what communities need to know about free…
A new report on electricity access for low-income households by Tracy Ledger, Lead Researcher on the Energy and Society programme. Poverty has received scant attention from an energy perspective. This…
Head of the Energy and Society programme, Tracy Ledger, speaks to Thabiso Tema on PowerFM in a revelatory discussion about how the failure to provide free basic electricity for poor…
Download this Community Brief in the following languages:People who get enough electricity to meet their daily needs, at a price that they can afford to pay, have many benefits: They…
In the short video clip below, Melanie Ehren and Jacqueline Baxter interview Noma Pakade and Thokozani Chilenga-Butao, authors of chapter 12 from the book Trust Accountability and Capacity in Education…
Khaya Sithole is in conversation with Busani Ngcaweni, Principal of the National School of Governance and Dr Florencia Belvedere, Lead of the State Reform programme at the Public Affairs Research…
Dr Florencia Belvedere shares PARI's state reform work at the Consulting Engineers Protecting Lives and Livelihoods Webinar, Episode 3. You can watch the full webinar in the YouTube embed below.…
It is a crucial moment in our democracy. PARI has joined over 300 organisations and individuals in putting out a call to action to all South Africans. Watch the video…
We, representatives of civil society, jointly issue this statement condemning former president Jacob Zuma’s insistence on defying the State Capture Commission and the dangerous attacks he and other political actors…
President Cyril Ramaphosa signed a proclamation on 5 March 2021 authorising the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to investigate allegations of corruption and maladministration at Mogalakwena Local Municipality in Limpopo. The…
Dear President Cyril Ramaphosa, On Monday, 1 March 2021, in your presidential letter to the nation, you reiterated your administration’s commitment to build an efficient, capable and ethical state free…
The Organisational and Institutional Studies programme at Wits University started with first block lectures last week, with a whole new team for 2021. Dr Federica Duca, who leads the OIS…
Dr Florencia Belvedere was on Radio 702's early breakfast show this morning, chatting with Africa Melane about how the government could root out corruption among public service officials. Listen to…
On 5 Feb 2021, Dr Florencia Belvedere chatted to Ntokozo Mazibuko on PowerFM about the state of public procurement, responding to the SIU's media briefing that same day on the…
Local government vs communities: Reclaiming the people's power through the courts State authority can be challenged, giving civil movements the power to circumvent limitations and failures of state institutions, moving…
by Zukiswa Pikoli A Public Affairs Research Institute webinar on institutional coordination of the return to schools agreed that parents’ participation in their children’s education would improve with better access…
The Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) held a discussion on 27 January 2021 with Themba Fosi (COGTA), Tracy Ledger (PARI) and Louis Scheepers (UWC). The conversation dealt with the…
Smart Energy International, 23 January 2021 A new working paper by Dr Tracy Ledger, A Just Distribution, argues that: ‘A better understanding of the linkages between distribution and socioeconomic development…
by Tracy Ledger A better understanding of the linkages between electricity distribution and poverty is critical to a just transition. Otherwise, we run the very real risk of restructuring our…
Covid-19, States and Societies is a new series which presents texts from around the globe, detailing relationships between states and societies: how they have unfolded since the beginning of the…
The Future Of The Ingonyama Trust: Substantive Accountability in a post-Covid era dialogue held by the Nelson Mandela Foundation, the Land and Accountability Research Centre and the Public Affairs Research…
Press statement 15 November 2020 Zuma must account before Zondo We, the undersigned organisations, express our ongoing support for the Zondo Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture. We…
On 3 November, Dr Tracy Ledger was a panel member at the Water Rights Webinar Series 3rd session, on Makana Municipality. The series is organised by SERI and the Mail…
A professional and well-capacitated local government bureaucracy is essential for the delivery of efficient and effective public goods and services to local communities. The recruitment and appointment of municipal administration…
The ANC’s treasurer-general Paul Mashatile is reportedly calling for an increase in state funding for political parties. The ANC has been in the news for some time with reports of…
Dr Mbongiseni Buthelezi was interviewed on Newzroom Afrika on 11 October about the issue of a lack of professionalism in the public sector, which results in bad service and often,…
Dr Thokozani Chilenga-Butao, Research Associate at PARI and Sandile Swana, political analyst, spoke to SABC Morning Live on 22 September 2020 about the upcoming Public Procurement Bill. For more information…
On 16 September, Dr Tracy Ledger had a gripping conversation with Mark Heywood from Maverick Citizen, in a Jacana 'Don't Shut Up' session, about the state of the food system…
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