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The Institute for African Alternatives and Surplus Radical Bookshop are pleased to invite you to a film screening of “Thomas Sankara: The Upright Man” by Robin Shuffield. This event forms part of our African Film Series in which we explore the life and times of important African revolutionaries and events…

Keynote speaker Yanis Varoufakis, renowned radical economist and former Greek Finance Minister, will speak on Africa in the Face of the new Cold War and the West’s new colonial escapades The annual Ben Turok Memorial Lecture marks the anniversary of the death of IFAA’s founder and former director, the struggle…

IFAA would like to congratulate our senior researcher, Dr Hibist Kassa, on the publication of her chapter ‘The Crisis of Social Reproduction in Petty Commodity Production and Large-scale Mining: A Southern Perspective on Gender Inequality’ in the new collection Inequality Studies from the Global South, Routledge (2020). For more information…

The Institute for African Alternatives (IFAA) notes that the student movement has rallied young people to come together to insist on inclusive, quality education for all. We offer the following points: The protest action on university campuses across the country expresses legitimate concerns and grievances. The issue of fee increases…

Below find Prof. Ben Turok’s letter to Business Day on 17 June 2015. ALLOW me to comment on Songezo Zibi’s latest column (Unembargoed, June 15). He takes a rather pessimistic view on the prospects of industrialisation in SA through building a “bigger heavy industrial sector … to fuel infrastructure”. The…

Sir, The rise of xenophobia with violence is a disaster for South Africa’s aspirations in Africa. Many reasons have been advanced for this unexpected explosion and no doubt many socioeconomic factors are at play. But what stands out for me is the intense hatred for Africa’s immigrants and refugees as…

The Institute for African Alternatives (IFAA) supports the call for transformation at UCT. It is clear that the university needs to embrace change and abandon a physical and academic infrastructure which does not reflect the aspirations of its students and broader society.   Although we are delighted to hear of…

Below find Prof. Turok’s presentation to a roundtable on The Role of Intellectuals in the State-Society Nexus. The event was convened by The Mapungubwe Institute (MISTRA) and Liliesleaf on 4th March 2015. I am asked to respond to the paper by Joel Netshitenzhe. This is always a pleasure since he has…

Please read below for news, updates on our activities and upcoming events.  Partnerships  Partnership with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA)  IFAA has confirmed a partnership agreement with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa to conduct policy research on the mineral value chain in South Africa. Our…

Remarks made by Prof. Turok at the Colloquium on Beneficiation hosted by the Portfolio Committee on Trade and Industry. The Colloquium took place between 27 August-4 September 2014 in Parliament, Cape Town Click on the following link to download: Towards a Joined up Economy…

Prof. Turok’s address for the graduation ceremony of the Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment (2014). “Engineers must be mindful of the socioeconomic impact of their work.” It is a great honour for me to speak at my old alma mater, particularly to engineering graduates. On my first day as…

The Confucius Institute of the University of Cape Town has invited IFAA to co-host a high level Colloquium on China-Africa relations with Ben Turok as Programme Director. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Chairperson of the African Union has been invited to deliver the keynote address, top officials are coming from China and…

ABSTRACT In this paper Professor Ben Turok (director) examines the constraints on beneficiation in South Africa. He calls for a negotiated compromise on domestic prices, perhaps for a fixed period, with suitable provisions for improved infrastructure services, and step-by-step measures to enhance local value addition and beneficiation by local manufacturers and…

An experts’ consultation on the Interface between Mining and Manufacturing was held at the IDC on 22 August 2013. IFAA co-hosted the forum along with the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). The forum also benefitted from the support of the Department of…

Prof. Turok writes to Business Day regarding the Cape Town Mining Lekgotla.  Sir, The report on the legislative proposals discussed at the Cape Town Mining Lekgotla (11.2.2015) raises many concerns. The mining industry has consistently stuck to its determination to sell minerals in the South African market at import parity prices…