The changing structure of South Africa’s labour market means the country is unlikely to see any reduction in its high levels of unemployment. This is one of the key findings of the latest Fast Facts report published by the IRR.
Media Releases
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.
9 March 2015 – The average monthly cost of broadband in South Africa is more than 10 times that of the United Kingdom (UK). However, the UK enjoys broadband speed that is five times higher than that of South Africa.
A new IRR report reveals the scale of South Africa’s mobile phone revolution.
2 February 2016 – A report released by the IRR has found that the HIV/AIDS policies adopted by the government after 2007 have had a very positive effect on demographic trends in the country.
14 September 2016 - A report released by the IRR this morning shows that the proposed sugar tax will do almost nothing to improve the health of South Africans. It is rather an attempt to raise more money by a desperate government that is running short of revenue. The tax will place more financial pressure on already stressed households and worsen their socio-economic position.
The number of active private security officers has increased by 167% in the period 1997-2007, while the number of sworn police officials has increased by only 18%, according to data released by the South African Institute of Race Relations this week. There were 192 012 more private security officers in 2007 than in 1997. Over the same period there were only 19 687 more police officials.
Two departments of the security cluster aim to implement employment equity targets that have contradictory objectives. One wants to increase the proportion of white people in its ranks while the other intends to do the exact opposite.
4 June 2015 – The proportion of the national budget spent on social services has increased from 45% in 1994/95 to 60% in 2014/15.
This morning the South African Institute of Race Relations released a statement on the arrest of Mzilikazi wa Afrika.
Seven of the top ten performing municipalities, based on service delivery indicators, are in the Western Cape. Eight of the ten worst performing municipalities are in the Eastern Cape.
17 August - The Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) says that the draft mining charter it put forward in April this year is needed to align BEE obligations in mining with the generic codes. However, the draft charter often goes way beyond what the generic codes require, notes the IRR in a new issue of its @Liberty policy bulletin published yesterday.
5 December 2017 - Violence against the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community is most common in the Eastern Cape Province. This is one of the findings in the IRR’s November 2017 Fast Facts report.
8 February 2018 - ‘The EFF’s Internal Revolution’, the latest report from the IRR, documents the extraordinary turnover rate of MPs inside the party’s national caucus, and examines its organizational culture.
28 March 2017 – The IRR is deeply saddened by the passing of Ahmed Mohamed Kathrada this morning. Mr Kathrada made great sacrifices to defeat apartheid, and will be remembered for his warmth, courage and determination.
27 May 2016 – The IRR (Institute of Race Relations) has today petitioned President Jacob Zuma not to give his assent to the Expropriation Bill of 2015 (the Bill), but rather to refer it back to the National Assembly for reconsideration.
24 June 2015 – Job security for some has been achieved at the price of unemployment for others who might have benefited from a more adaptable and flexible regulatory environment.
22 April 2015 – The Expropriation Bill of 2015, recently put forward by public works minister Thulas Nxesi, (the Nxesi Bill) will make it much harder to build prosperity and overcome past disadvantage by undermining property rights, deterring investment, and choking off growth and jobs, warns the IRR (Institute of Race Relations).
4 March 2015 – The Expropriation Bill of 2015 again gives the State the power to take ownership and possession of property of virtually any kind by notice to the owner – and without a prior court order confirming the validity of the expropriation.
10 December 2016 – The proposed National Health Insurance (NHI) system will fail to provide free and quality health services to all South Africans, says the IRR in a report published today.