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Reform process fails to fill this development gap By Siphe Zantsi Dr Siphe Zantsi is a research fellow in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension at the University of Fort Hare. His PhD thesis is on South African land redistribution and he has published widely on the subject. He…

Reversing the trajectory of food insecurity in Africa By Amiena Bayat, Claire Quinn, Julian May and Hemish Govera Professor Amiena Bayat is Associate Professor of Economics at the Institute for Social Development (ISD), University of the Western Cape (UWC). She is a research fellow with Food Systems Research Network for…

Fleeing danger to possible disaster … and death   1 June 2023 – 31 August 2023 The last three months have again been marked by repeated drownings of migrants leaving the shores of Africa for Europe. Boats small and large from Egypt, Senegal, Libya and Tunisia have foundered and capsized…

An institutional perspective on ethics and accountability By Gary Pienaar and Narnia Bohler-Muller Prof Narnia Bohler-Muller is a divisional executive in the HSRC’s Developmental, Capable and Ethical State (DCES) research division. She holds a Doctorate in Law (LLD) from the University of Pretoria. Bohler-Muller specialises in participatory democracy and social…

In his address to the workshop, Associate Professor of Public Law at the University of Cape Town Richard Calland reminisced about his involvement in the early 1990s around Parliament’s first code of conduct, which was drafted by former cabinet minister and legal scholar Kader Asmal. Prof Calland also drew attention…

Ian Todd is head of Britain’s Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA), a statutory body that sets and pays the salaries of UK MPs and their staff – and monitors their expenditure. PSA was established in the wake of a major political scandal in the UK in 2009 over MPs’ expenses…

Ethics, Parliament and the elected representative Why have our codes of conduct failed? By Moira Levy Moira Levy is Media Manager at the Institute for African Alternatives (IFAA), the Production Editor of its flagship journal, New Agenda: South African Journal of Social and Economic Policy and coordinator of IFAA’s DECODE…

Another milestone reached: New Agenda on the road to renewal By the New Agenda editorial collective As described in previous issues of New Agenda, the publishers of the journal, the Institute for African Alternatives (IFAA), are taking active steps to ensure that New Agenda retains its accreditation with the Department…

“Democracy has come some way – and has a long way still to go“ By Martin Nicol The novelist, Upton Sinclair, wrote in “The Jungle” published in 1906 – “…when election day came, … the same night watchman took Jurgis and the rest of his flock into the back room…

Surplus Books, IFAA, Project 90 by 2030, the PHA Food and Farming Campaign, and the Baha’i Faith Community invite you to a celebration of World Food Day. This event will feature a film screening of the acclaimed documentary “The Ants and the Grasshopper” and a presentation, focusing on Climate Change…

Featuring an Introduction by Director Bobby Rodwell Surplus Radical Bookshop and The Institute for African Alternatives invite you to a screening of the film ‘Word Down the Line’ by Bobby Rodwell ‘Word Down The Line’ is a poetic reflection of South Africa’s journey to democracy, told through the voices of…

The United Democratic Front was launched on 20 August 1983 in Cape Town, Dr Sidney Luckett revisits its legacy.…

Where to for Parliament? One year after Zondo ‘very little has happened’ By Moira Levy “Where was Parliament? ”That’s what Chief Justice Raymond Zondo asked at the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture. “Where indeed, and where is it now?”. That’s what it said on the invitation to the first…

Calendar of events in Africa 1 March 2023 – 31 May 2023 The world has been shaken by the fierce fighting between the two rival military factions in Sudan, following failure, earlier in April, to sign a long- promised agreement naming a civilian government. Sudan fell under military rule after…

While tools for oversight are important, political will to fully use such tools is paramount Immediately after the release of the final report of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture, Corruption and Fraud in the Public Sector including Organs of State, more commonly called the Zondo…