The United Democratic Front: a point of departure?
The United Democratic Front was launched on 20 August 1983 in Cape Town, Dr Sidney Luckett revisits its legacy.…
New Agenda 89: Defend our Constitutional Democracy workshop
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…
New Agenda 89: Dateline Africa
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…
New Agenda 89: Defend our Constitutional Democracy workshop
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…
New Agenda 89: Seeking fair land distribution
Land restitution in South Africa: Is there another way to achieve land justice? By Ben Cousins Simon’s Town was transformed by the apartheid policies that uprooted and expelled the entire population of ‘coloured’ and African families who had lived in the area for generations. BEN COUSINS presents the context for…
New Agenda 89: Climate change and repression
Caption: Bob Barigye, an environmental activist and Project Coordinator of conservation group Mother Nature, in Kampala, Uganda. Source: John Okot. “Enemies of the state”: Uganda targets climate activists in quiet crackdown By John Okot In December 2022, climate activist Bob Barigye, 34, found himself faced with a life-changing decision. The…
New Agenda 89: Revisiting UDF 40 years later
The UDF at 40: A commemoration with lessons and portents By Bruce Kadalie At the Institute for African Alternatives’ (IFAA’s) commemoration of 40 years since the launch of the United Democratic Front (UDF), struggle veterans on the panel shared more than their memories; they listened to young people in the…
New Agenda 89: Revisiting UDF 40 years later
Unions and the UDF A look back at the lessons of the 1980s By Devan Pillay This article traces back to the roots of the tension between the democratic-socialist future promised by the UDF in the 1980s and the independent unions who warned of the dangers of nationalist politics where…
New Agenda 88: Where to for the SSA?
South Africa’s intelligence agency needs speedy reform – or it must be shut down By Jane Duncan South Africa’s civilian intelligence service, the State Security Agency, is a broken institution according to JANE DUNCAN. It is meant to provide intelligence to forewarn the country of national security threats, yet it…
New Agenda 88: Editorial
“You will be glad to know that according to the analysts, the economic fundamentals are in place” by Zapiro Beyond the tipping point By Martin Nicol Economists debate the impact on the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and whether lost production should be measured in billions or trillions of rands. Ordinary…
New Agenda 88: Corruption in education
Two assassinations, a VC of steel and the remarkable ‘uncapturing’ of Fort Hare By Anneliese Burgess The man ‘uncapturing’ the University of Fort Hare from organised crime and other crooked interests is vice-chancellor, who survived an assassination attempt earlier this year that claimed the life of his bodyguard, yet he…
New Agenda 88: Young Climate Voices
Household takes refuge from the rain in central Malawi. Source: Wikipediacommons & ILRI, Stevie Mann. Climate crisis response plans for hardest hit Southern African countries By Élitz-Doris C. Okwudili Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe have been particularly hard hit by recent powerful cyclones, which left a trail of death and destruction.…
New Agenda 89: Revisiting UDF 40 years later
No shortcuts, no subtitles, no substitutes Reflections on the UDF after 40 years By Allan Aubrey Boesak Hardly a day passes that I am not stopped on the street by someone with almost always two questions, writes ALLAN BOESAK. First, referring to the dire situations South Africans are facing today:…
New Agenda 89
Editorial By Martin Nicol New Agenda 89 features three articles that look back 40 years to the formation of the United Democratic Front (UDF). It is comforting to look back. We can wonder at the principles, sacrifices – and compromises – made then to forge a united front to stand…
IFAA African Film Series: “Concerning Violence”
The Institute for African Alternatives and Surplus Radical Books are pleased to invite you to a film screening of “Concerning Violence: Nine Scenes from Anti-Imperialistic Self-Defense” by Göran Hugo Olsson. This event forms part of our African Film Series in which we explore the life and times of important African…
