Latest from the IRR

Anthea Jeffery responds to Coenraad Bezuidenhout's defence of the controversial legislation.

In his response to the debate on the 2016 State of the Nation Address, president Jacob Zuma reiterated Parliament will consider the promulgation of the Cyber Crimes and Related Matters Bill during the first half of this year. The South African Institute of Race Relations (IRR) has concerns with this Bill.

John Kane-Berman says SA would be better off if those parts of the Plan that have been implemented had not been.

Schools present single biggest obstacle to living standards advancement – IRR

7 March 2016 – Children in South Africa continue to be let down by the poor quality of most public schools. This is the single biggest obstacle to creating a more prosperous and equal society.

Frans Cronjé says the legislation is dangerous, and aimed at undermining the property rights of ordinary South Africans.

Sara Gon says our role should rather be to help facilitate a durable peace settlement.

The day before finance minister Pravin Gordhan delivered a budget speech that was supposed to show how South Africa’s economy is being turned around, the National Assembly quietly adopted the Expropriation Bill of 2015, which is sure to damage investment and further constrain economic growth.

LAST year, the Institute of Race Relations commissioned a national survey of public attitudes to race and other policy issues.

John Kane-Berman says the ANC govt has created system where key constituencies are financially beholden to it.

Rassechaos en -waansin daal op die land neer. Kyk na die Universiteit Stellenbosch.

Race relations in South Africa are good – new IRR report

29 February 2016 – A report released by the IRR this week has found that race relations in South Africa are in a good state.

Following Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan’s budget speech, industry veteran Ian Cruickshanks applied his mind to the outcome. He says despite Gordhan saying that South Africa is “imaginative and resilient enough” to turn the economy around and that “we need action and not just words”, the steps announced did not go nearly far enough to halt and reverse South Africa’s economic decline. In this fantastic analysis the Institute of Race Relations Chief Economist provides a sobering reality check of what to expect from the economy in 2016. – Stuart Lowman

South Africa is ground-zero for the global Boycott Disinvestment and Sanctions movement.

South Africa sees policy successes in improved mother and child healthcare – IRR

25 February 2016 – The still birth rate in South Africa has been falling sharply according to the South Africa Survey 2016 released by the IRR this month. The IRR says this is evidence of improved mother and child health in the country and is something to be celebrated.

IRR Media Comment – Budget analysis 2016

24 February 2016 – Budget analysis 2016 – finance minister undershoots, stagflation the likely outcome

Budget analysis 2016: SA economic outlook 2016 – finance minister undershoots, stagflation the likely outcome

URGENT NOTICE: Professor Jonathan Jansen book launch cancellation

23 February 2016 – It is with the greatest regret that events on the campus of the University of the Free State last night have forced Professor Jonathan Jansen to postpone his book launch this coming Friday evening, 26 February 2016. The Professor needs to devote his full attention to his campus at this time.

South Africa makes strides in lowering child mortality rate – IRR report

23 February 2016 – The IRR has identified a marked decrease in child mortality rates in South Africa and says this is indicative of improved child health in the country.

John Kane-Berman says ANC legislation is moving towards allowing for land expropriation without compensation.

Government lags in employment equity – IRR

18 February 2016 – The South Africa Survey 2016, released by the IRR this month, shows that national government departments and parastatals lag far behind provincial and local government in employment equity.

South Africa’s living standards on the rise – IRR

16 February 2016 – Living standards in South Africa have shown a remarkable degree of improvement over the past 20 years, according to the South Africa Survey 2016 released by the IRR this month.

John Kane-Berman says President offered little in way of meaningful economic reform in his SONA.

Soms is die stryd teen rassisme die mees rassistiese geveg van almal.

Labour market absorption rate slips – IRR

11 February 2016 – In its South Africa Survey 2016, released this month, the IRR identified that South Africa’s labour market absorption rate has fallen since 2001.

Unemployment is South Africa’s most serious unresolved problem, say ordinary South Africans. Racism barely features as an issue of this kind. And only nine people out of roughly 2 250 identify land reform as an important problem that still needs to be resolved.

Report finds deep racial and social inequalities in matric results

9 February 2016 – The 2016 South Africa Survey published by the IRR this month has found deep-seated racial and social inequalities in South Africa’s matric results.

We are in deep trouble and need to be brave.

John Kane-Berman says the Zuma govt has a long record of fobbing off these bodies with empty promises

AFRICAN National Congress (ANC) secretary-general Gwede Mantashe says the governing party is concerned about the prospects for recession and further ratings downgrades, and that the government must do everything possible to stage a growth recovery. In practice, quite the opposite is happening — the policies of the government seem almost calculated to engineer a recession.