Zimbabwe GNU Watch - February 2010

Wed, 3 Mar 2010 09:39:10 +0200

The Zimbabwe GNU Watch provides an overview, month by month, of political developments under the terms set out in the Global Political Agreement (GPA). The sections profiled in monthly outputs may vary depending on events and issues raised in that particular report. Where possible, the relevant article as stipulated in the GPA has been provided. As this documentation began in April, there may at times be references to activities or events that took place in previous months.

The Grand Inga Dam: A promise to light up Africa that could still leave poorer citizens in the dark

Tue, 2 Mar 2010 12:00:00 +0200

By Charlotte JohnsonThe proposed Grand Inga Dam, which is to be constructed in western Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), is set to dwarf all existing hydroelectricity stations. The dam will build on the existing dams, Inga I, Inga II and a yet to be constructed Inga III. It has been proclaimed that upon construction, 500 million of Africa’s 900 million people currently without electricity will be able to claim their share of light and its developmental potent...

Niger: Mutharika’s AU Quandary

Mon, 1 Mar 2010 12:00:00 +0200

By Linda KabwatoWhen President Mutharika of Malawi accepted the chairmanship of the African Union (AU) he vowed to ensure that Africa in 2010 achieves among other things, peace and security. The President went on to declare that he will “isolate those who seek power by unconstitutional means” basically advocating democracy, peace and security on the African continent. This is why in my other article “Putting Democracy on the AU Agenda”, I argu...

Promoting the African Charter

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 12:00:00 +0200

In late February, Idasa hosted a workshop for 46 people from 14 countries to exchange information and knowledge, and to develop national and international strategies to promote and ratify the AU’s Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance. Some Pictures from the Workshop can be found here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/idasa/sets/72157623539885162/The Africa Democracy Forum and t...

Sharing experience in Kansas

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 10:01:33 +0200

Idasa's Governance and Aids Programme (GAP) spent time in Kansas, USA, in February. They were invited by the Departments of Gender Studies and the Health and Humanities Faculty at the University of Kansas. Hannah Britton, one of Idasa’s Board members in the US, facilitated the visit and set up a series of lectures and meetings where staff shared experiences about the challenges of building AIDS-resilient democratic societies in Africa. They met with faculty staff from th...

Citizen Report Cards in the provinces

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 09:40:30 +0200

Idasa's project on citizen report cards is underway in South Africa. Field workers from Mpumalanga and the North West have recently been trained and have conducted citizen report cards in their communities. This pilot stage is testing the report cards, while twenty four municipalities are being presented with the project plans for implementation. Current provinces under consideration are KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and North West...

ANC must lay down the law on business interests or it will lose our confidence

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 11:13:54 +0200

By: Judith FebruaryAccording to the ANC, its Youth League president, Julius Malema has ‘broken no law’ by tendering for state contracts and in so doing becoming a multi-millionaire. Of course they are correct because there is no law which prevents members of political parties or their spouses from doing business with the state. In addition, the ANC has no such internal party regulation. We know also that the ANC itself via its front company, Chancellor Ho...

Idasa seeks funding for dynamic new projects

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 12:00:00 +0200

You are invited to join Idasa in our goal of promoting sustainable democracy based on active citizenship, democratic institutions and social justice.We are seeking partners for two new projects aimed at creating a public role for citizens committed to building our struggling educational institutions into models that respect, defend and promote human rights and democratic participation.These are national projects requiring substantial support. If your institution can help fun...

Electricity Governance Initiative of South Africa

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 12:00:00 +0200

See the pictures from the release here.The Electricity Governance Initiative of South Africa report – The Governance of Power: Shedding a Light on the Electricity Sector in South Africa – was released on Friday 19 February at a breakfast briefing at Ida...

Budget 2010: Still a Rocky Road Ahead

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 12:00:00 +0200

By: Len Verwey, Saranne Durham and Musa ZamisaIt was already clear in Pravin Gordhan’s first medium-term budget policy statement in October 2009 that a substantial adjustment needed to be made to public finances over the next few years. Though the South African economy has formally moved out of recession, and though some indicators, such as household consumption expenditure, are improving, economic recovery will be slow. This means, of course, that the rec...

Report of the Meeting to Assess and Analyse Issues Leading to the Constituency Office Project in Malawi

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 12:00:00 +0200

The meeting was held from the at Annie’s Lodge in Zomba, Malawi. Present were PN Productions Managing Director, two staff of PN Productions and one Idasa staff member.The purpose of the two day meeting was to assess and analyse the issues that justified the constituency office project in Malawi. The activities involved looking at all the documents and reports pertaining to the project and written or prepared prior to the implementation of the project. It was agreed that there w...

Oil and Governance Report

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 12:00:00 +0200

A Case Study of Chad, Angola, Gabon, and Sao Tome é PrincipeThe aim of the report is to describe the context in which political power is exercised in the four countries that are the subject of the study. It will show how policies are shaped and how one might engage with – and perhaps change – the political processes at work. It is hoped that by isolating these socio-political forces, avenues for public participation, effective advocacy and positive...

Resources and Outcomes in Public Schools

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 12:00:00 +0200

The case of South AfricaBy: Russell WildemanThis study probes the connection between resources and outcomes in South African public schools. It aims to develop a deeper understanding of the effects of socio-economic segregation and inadequate resources on the lives of poor learners.Education is a potent tool in the fight against poverty and other forms of inequality, but to be effective, changes in the schooling system and the way s...

Mutharika at the AU - Putting Democracy, Elections and Governance on the Agenda

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 02:10:19 +0200

By Linda KabwatoLast year I was invited by the Netherlands Institute for Multi-Party Democracy to present a paper on the African Union (AU) Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (the Charter) in Naivasha, Kenya at a conference for African political parties. One of the things I highlighted was the challenges to the signing and ratification of the Charter by African countries and I cited two of the biggest challenges as the leadership of the African Union and ...

Problems of democratic transition and consolidation in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 12:00:00 +0200

By: Sylvester Bongani Maphosa (PhD)When independent states emerged from colonial rule in the 1960s, the Central African region had never had an established democratic regime. The autocratic regimes that prevailed during the post-colonial epoch gave way to anocratic regimes in which participation and free competition was severely restricted and political rights and civil liberties inadequately protected. In the DRC, following the failure of the Mobutu and Laurent Kabi...

Zimbabwe GNU Watch - January 2010

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 12:25:23 +0200

Electricity Governance Initiative of South Africa

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 12:00:00 +0200

The Governance of Power - Shedding a light on the electricity sector in South AfricaThe EGI-SA assessment report is written against a backdrop of significant national concern over how to meet the growing demand for electricity, Eskom’s request for a major increase in the price of electricity, and the State-owned utility’s own challenges of corporate governance.The assessment highlights a systemic lack of clarity concerning roles and responsibilit...

Our response to what Zuma says matters more than the details of his speech

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 12:00:00 +0200

By: Judith FebruaryOne can’t help feeling that Jacob Zuma’s presidency is fast losing its way. It’s hard to ignore the ever-increasing and worrying sense of drift in the Zuma administration. It was clear at the outset that Zuma would need to be carefully managed. The Schabir Shaik corruption trial laid bare his inability to manage his own finances and exposed the dangerous degree to which he was beholden to Shaik. It, together with the tawdry ...

Governance and AIDS Programme - Kenya Report

Fri, 5 Feb 2010 12:00:00 +0200

The Communication Unit of the Governance and AIDS Programme represented by Marietjie Myburg and Ayanda Roji visited Kenya from 13 – 17 October 2009. Kenya was one of the participating countries in Phase I and II of GAP’s research work. The objective of the trip was to strengthen partnerships and identify civil society communicators and journalists to participate in a Community of Practice aimed at building a habit of citizen action through HIV and AIDS Communication.

Surviving on the move: Migration, Poverty and Development in Southern Africa,

Wed, 3 Feb 2010 12:00:00 +0200

Eds: Jonathan Crush and Bruce FrayneSince the collapse of apartheid, there have been major increases in migration flows within, to and from the Southern African region. Cross-border movements are at an all-time high across the region and internal migration is at record levels. The implications of greater mobility for areas of origin and destination have not been systematically explored. Migration is most often seen as a negative phenomenon, a result of increased poverty and ...

Report on the NHI Roundtable Hosted by Idasa

Tue, 2 Feb 2010 12:00:00 +0200

19 January 2010, Cape TownAccess to quality health care for all South Africans remains a key challenge facing democratic South Africa. Debates concerning the optimal reform path have increased in urgency given the proposed introduction of a system of National Health Insurance (NHI) in South Africa.Idasa hosted a roundtable on the 19th of January 2010 in order to generate debate amongst a range of stakeholders on some of the key questions related to the proposed syst...

Presentation to NERSARevised Eskom MYPD2 application

Mon, 1 Feb 2010 11:27:09 +0200

28 January 2010Introduction Idasa does not at this stage express a firm view as to: the necessary extent of infrastructural development required to meet future demand; by whom such development should be undertaken; and the appropriate mixture of available technologies that should be adopted to generate additional electricity supplies Decisions cl...

Tackling the elephant

Mon, 1 Feb 2010 12:00:00 +0200

RICHARD CALLAND, SALIEM FAKIR AND LEONARD GENTLE JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA – Mail & Guardian Dec 18 2009 12:41As global climate change negotiations in Copenhagen reach their climax, South Africa has been talking to everyone yet it has a long way to go to bring its own citizens up to speed.After unannounced discussions with leading members of the G77, China, India, Brazil and Saudi Arabia, South Africa entered the climate change summit by i...

Governance and AIDS Programme (Idasa-GAP): Five-year strategic plan

Mon, 1 Feb 2010 12:00:00 +0200

This programme is a five-year strategy to mitigate the impact of HIV/AIDS on democratic governance, human development and security in sub-Saharan Africa. It aims to strengthen good governance to counter the effects of HIV/AIDS by instituting evidence-based advocacy, skills building and active citizenship targeting intergovernmental organisations (IGOs) and relevant regional non-state actors.This programme is primarily informed by Idasa-GAP’s own groundbreaking research which re...

Opening of the Idasa Democracy Centre Cape Town

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 12:00:00 +0200

Please join us at a Cocktail Party to mark the opening of the Idasa Democracy Centre at 6 Spin Street, Church Square, Cape Town on Monday the 15th February from 5pm to 7pm. The new space to meet and talk, eat and read... In an Historical setting alongside contemporary art.By invite only RSVP: Tanya Shanker by the 12th February at tshanker@idasa.org.za or 021-467-5601Download invite below.

Idasa in Copenhagen - Reflections

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0200

By Manyewu MutambaParties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) gathered in Copenhagen, Denmark, between 7 and 18 December 2009 for the 15th Conference of Parties (COP-15). Delegates attempted to thrash out a comprehensive international deal to limit global warming to 2 °C above pre-industrial levels to avoid dangerous climate change. Also on the agenda was discussions on a financing mechanism to ...

Executive Summary - The 2nd International Policy Workshop on Aid Effectiveness

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0200

Seoul, 4-5 November, 2009Hosted by the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MOFAT) and the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) in cooperation with the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ); the Wolfensohn Center for Development at Brookings, United States; idasa – an African democracy institute, South Africa; the German Development Institute (DIE) and the Development Policy Forum, InWEnt – Capacity...

Civil Society and the Zuma Administration: Opportunities for Engagement

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0200

Edited by Yvette Geyer and Ivor JenkinsA healthy democracy needs a government that understands that it has to share some of itspower with civil society, the realm in which citizens acquire a voice, enabling them to ensure that government responds to their needs and is accountable to them in an ongoing representative manner beyond the ballot box.The public debate on whether there are centralist impulses evident in the ANC as the dominant electoral force raise...

Key Concepts in budget analysis and resources tracking

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0200

By Godknows Giya and Vailet Mukotsanjera-KowayiThis is a simplified and user friendly comprehensive guide to defining democracy, governance, economics, budget analysis and resource tracking. It simplifies the tools for basic budget analysis including calculations for budget analysis and resource tracking of HIV & AIDS resources. Given the current global financial crisis, state and non-state actors have to ensure that available resources are used efficiently and effectively. It is...

Idasa’s Economic Governance Programme

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0200

The mission of EGP:To democratise economic decision-making processes and resource management through citizen engagement to achieve sustainable socio-economic justice in Africa.The EGP has five projects:Right to Know, Right to Education – enhancing poor children’s access to quality basic education;Public Expenditure and Smallholder Agriculture – seeking effective and respon...

Zimbabwe GNU Watch - December 2009

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0200

5th Sahara Conference Report

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0200

Gallagher Estate, Midrand30 November – 3 December 2009Compiled by the Idasa Governance and AIDS Programme:Christele Diwouta (Researcher)Mwanja Ng’anjo (Information Management Specialist)Mary Chivasa (Intern)The theme of the 5th Social Aspects of HIV/AIDS Research Alliance (SAHARA) Conference 2009 was, “Social-cultural responses to HIV. While the majority of sch...

The appointment procedure for the National Director of Public Prosecutions is what should be reviewed

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0200

By: Nonhlanhla ChanzaThe recent appointment of the former justice director-general Menzi Simelane as the new head of the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP), and the continuous criticism and outrage that this decision has brought, demands that we engage in a robust and progressive public debate about the obvious faults of the current appointment procedure. This dialogue is long overdue and should not be delayed any longer. At most, it should seek to devis...

Civil Society and the Zuma Administration: Opportunities for Engagement

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0200

This booklet consist of contributions by Steven Friedman, Raenette Taljaard, Kehla Shubane and Yvette Geyer. It is a collection of the presentations made at the roundtable discussion had at Idasa Kutlwanong in August, funded by the IDRC, to talk through the challenges and opportunities South Africa's civil society faces under the new administration.Download the electronic copy below or contact Shahieda on shendricks@idasa.org.z...

The prospects for smallholder farmers - Ghana Budget 2010

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 08:59:34 +0200

The importance of the agriculture sector to tbe Ghanaian economy was manifest once again in tbe 2010 national budget statement presented by the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Dr. Kwabena Duf.cuor, to Parliament on November 18, 2009. The sector grew by 6.2 percent, against a target of 5.7 percent, driven largely on accoUlit of good rainfall patterns and by extension of tbe'land 'under cultivation, suggesting that the sector call indeed be adriver of growth when the conditio...

Final Report - Improved municipal journalism and reporting project

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0200

The municipal journalism project began in 2005 as a joint venture of Idasa and the Consolidation of Municipal Transformation Programme (CMTP), funded by the Department of Provincial and Local Government (DPLG) and the Department for International Development of the United Kingdom (DFID-UK) and managed by Deloitte.Idasa’s Media Programme had been working with local media – community radio and small commercial newspapers – in dealing with challenges of reporting the s...

Key Concepts in Budget Analysis and Resource Tracking

Tue, 8 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0200

By Godknows Giya and Vailet Mukotsanjera-KowayiIdasa is an independent public interest organisation committed to promoting sustainable democracy based on active citizenship, democratic institutions and social justice. Idasa understands that democracy is a principle that informs the development of political institutions, norms and procedures. In keeping with the meaning of the origin of the word “democracy” – demos and kratia in Greek – this principle ...

Zimbabwe GNU Watch - November 2009

Mon, 7 Dec 2009 10:43:46 +0200

Zimbabwe News flashes for December 2009

Mon, 7 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0200

These news flashes aim to shed light and provide analysis on current issues in Zimbabwe, by considering the situation, actors, and dynamics in that country. If you would like to subscribe to daily updates, please contact Emily.Zim News Flash 7 December 2009 Zuma facilitation team off to Zim

Fri, 4 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0200

The Audio Drama Unit of Media@IDASA will be holding its Annual Conclave. See details below.Visit the site: www.capecodes.co.za.The presentations begin at 13h30 on the 12th December with the kind of Marimba band you’ve never experienced before.Come out and support. Witness a truly democratic art formFREE ADMISSIONThe Novalis Ubunto Institute, Wynberg - 0...

Archbishop Tutu Awarded First Fetzer Prize for His Work to Advance Love, Forgiveness

Thu, 3 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0200

Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu will be awarded the Fetzer Institute’s Prize for Love and Forgiveness this evening at “Beyond Reconciliation,” a conference on the campus of the University of Cape Town. Named a joint recipient with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, each winner receives a $100,000 monetary award to support his work and a handcrafted, inscribed journal. The Archbishop had planned to receive the award with His Holiness at the Vancouver Peace Summit in Canada on Sept...

Full circle: ANSA-Africa Newsletter

Thu, 3 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0200

December 2009ANSA-Africa has compiled a newsletter which covers Access to information within Africa.Issues covered are: Access to information can fundamentally alter society's power relations; Which countries in Africa have Right to Know legislation?; Focus on Uganda as a case study; Civil society’s role in ensuring transparency in the extractive industriesDownload th...

Eskom - we need to have a public conversation

Wed, 2 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0200

By Richard Calland and Gary Pienaar Discuss this on our blog here ...Picking holes in the governance of electricity supply, and energy policy more generally, is like shooting fish in a barrel. Whether it is the development and sequencing of key policy documents, the absence of proper stakeholder consultation, leadership failure, or the lack...

US-Africa policy

Tue, 1 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0200

Witney Schneidman -- one of Idasa's U.S. Board members -- gave the inaugural Senator Ted Kennedy Memorial Lecture at the University of Pretoria in South Africa. The lecture series was established by the U.S. Embassy in South Africa to honor Senator Kennedy's legacy. Dr. Schneidman's remarks, entitled "New Beginnings, Enduring Challenges: American Foreign Policy to Africa from Kennedy to Obama,"...

From our travellers laptop ... Poverty Undermines Democracy in Africa

Tue, 1 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0200

- By Stefan Gilbert -About an hour after the plane was scheduled to depart, we were told that the flight to Sierra Leone would be delayed by six hours. This, I was told, would make for an interesting night. The trick with Sierra Leone is that you must cross the peninsula to get to the capital, Freetown. This must be done by boat, and a night crossing doesn’t rate highly on the “what you should do when you visit Sierra Leone” list. So, at about two o’c...

Roundtable on the inclusive government of Zimbabwe

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 02:33:55 +0200

Amanzi Lodge, 30th September, 2009Summary of DiscussionThe meeting was convened with a view to obtaining an informed and nuanced view, from theperspective of key stakeholders, of Zimbabwe's Inclusive Government (IG). While various largegatherings of human rights NGO's have met to consider issues relevant to the IG, it was the feeling of the conveners that these meetings have been unwieldy and that opinions expressed at these meetings often have been tempered ...

Democracy in Action - November / December 2009

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0200

Read the latest Idasa newsletter here.On 1st December, we commemorate world AIDS day - read below about Idasa's recent launch of an African media and HIV/AIDS initiative. Other issues profiled this month include the importance of giving voice to small scale farmers in policy development; traditional leadership in Africa; childre...

Zimbabwe News flashes for November 2009

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0200

National Treasury’s Fourth Quarter Local Government Budget Statement

Sat, 29 Aug 2009 12:00:00 +0200

The fourth quarter local government budget statement, which covers revenues and expenditure for the 12 months of the 2008/09 financial year, as well as information on the spending of local government conditional grants, was released on 28 August by the National Treasury. The statement reflects combined municipal financial performance information for the fourth quarter of the 2008/09 financial year, which ended 30 June, for all of the 283 municipalities.

Swaziland News flashes for August 2009

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 12:00:00 +0200

SITO now offers a twice weekly Swaziland News Flash. If you would like to register for this service, please contact Emily.Swazi News flash 28 August 2009Idasa Publication; The Role of Traditional Leaders in a Post-Tinkhundla Swaziland The majority of Africa...

The Role of Traditional Leaders in a Post-Tinkhundla Swaziland

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 12:00:00 +0200

By: Xolani SimelaneThe majority of African countries are predominantly rural and the authority of modern government often does not extend to these rural areas. As a result, traditional authorities can become critical in organizing the people at a local level where government does not reach. Traditional authorities have always been a feature of African societies and their involvement in governance issues has been recognized, especially during the colonial era. They ha...

Idasa book sales

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 09:41:35 +0200

Our latest book sales report is out, and in the July-Dec period in 2008 Idasa sold a total of 865 of our titles. Idasa books are sold abroad through African Books Collective, an agency based in Oxford; in South Africa through a book-selling company called Blue Weaver, and through our own online book store. Go to Idasa's online Lobby Book Store....

Leadership Training in Burundi and South Africa

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 07:20:29 +0200

Idasa’s CCEP and iLEDA programmes worked together on a three-month citizen leadership training programme in Burundi. Part of the initiative was to promote the Idasa campaign to win support and endorsement for the AU’s African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance. iLEDA is also holding workshops in communities in Mpumulanga and Limpopo to introduce the Swedish study circle method, which is based on Swedish folk schools and is an innovative, informal community education mo...

Building Citizen Leadership in Zambia and Malawi

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 07:15:58 +0200

Idasa’s iLEDA programme is working on Citizen Leadership for Democratic Development in Zambia and Malawi. The project aims to build democratic leadership capacity in communities while addressing development more broadly, by highlighting the role of citizens in public work as well as the anchoring role of locally owned initiatives in the civic life of communities. The Programme offers courses to citizen leaders and community development leaders, as well as elected officials, government w...

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