Idasa, an African Democracy Institute
Benefits of democracy lost in the gap between constitution and complex reality
29th March 2010 Along the mall in Washington DC stands the Korean war memorial. Alongside it, a marble wall with the powerful words, ‘Freedom is not free'. →
Zuma simply needs to play by the rules
10th March 2010 We should not have to be dragooned into setting high standards in public life. We should willingly seek maximum openness about what our public... →
ANC must lay down the law on business interests or it will lose our confidence
24th February 2010 According to the ANC, its Youth League president, Julius Malema has ‘broken no law' by tendering for state contracts and in so doing becoming a... →
Whose Interests drive the Government and Politicians in Tanzania?
4th November 2009 As Tanzania approaches its national elections in a years' time, it is worth looking back at what holds our democracy so that moving forward as a... →
Informed citizens are empowered to participate
1st October 2009 Last year, information came to light that the Kenyan parliament, one of the few in Africa that has complete control over its own budget, paid its... →
Considering the framework for policy and delivery in SA - the NPC and more
23rd September 2009 Since President Jacob Zuma announced a restructured Cabinet shortly after the April election, the future functions of government have remained... →
Why stake the credibility of Transnet on someone with disciplinary charges?
16th September 2009 There is an ugly spat brewing at Transnet. It's one which is not unlike some of the others taking place in various institutions across the country... →
Public has right to know if SA sold weapons to rogue regimes
2nd September 2009 The debate on South Africa's arms trade is once again in the spotlight. The Democratic Alliance's David Maynier has informed the House of his... →
New Public Protector Needs to meet the Office’s demands for Independence
19th August 2009 The 7-year office term of Lawrence Mushwana, the country's Public Protector, comes to an end in October this year. Over the next few weeks an... →
Public servants still profit from State tenders
12th August 2009 At what point could corruption become endemic in South Africa? When might it become so systematised that it becomes almost irreversibly ‘the way... →
Submission to the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development
23rd July 2009 Idasa made a submission to the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development requesting that the draft Constitution 17th Amendment Bill... →
Zimbabwe has a long way to go before sanctions are lifted
15th July 2009 The African Union (AU), SADC and the Zimbabwean Government of National Unity (GNU), have recently begun to take it in turns to call for the removal... →
Helping Africa Save Itself
8th July 2009 In DEAD AID, Dambisa Moyo, a Zambian-born economist, lays out a brash argument: that the more than $1 trillion in foreign assistance given to... →
Constitutional Court Appointments Will Test Judicial Waters
10th June 2009 When the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) meets later this year to consider who will replace four titans of the Constitutional Court when their... →
It's all ears as South Africans from all quarters await State of the Nation address
3rd June 2009 When President Jacob Zuma comes to Parliament on Wednesday to deliver his state of the nation address, he will be under intense scrutiny from all... →
A whole new dynamic in SA Parliament sets the scene for intriguing session
13th May 2009 The welcome mats were rolled out for the swearing in of new Members of Parliament this week. The fourth Parliament looks somewhat different, with... →
Time to Close Book on Party-Funding Secrecy in SA
13th May 2009 WITH the elections over and the African National Congress celebrating its victory, it is clear that, along with the people, the money has also spoken. →
Election response: Shifting Political Landscape
30th April 2009 After months of anticipation, widespread speculation and tireless campaigning by political parties, the 2009 South African elections have come and... →
Zuma's Presidency assured but his political survival beyond 2014 is not
29th April 2009 Barring an act of the gods, Jacob Zuma will be South Africa's next president, inaugurated on 9 May. His road to the Presidency will have been a... →
Election Brief: Opposition performance at the polls in 2009
21st April 2009 South Africa's electoral system is designed to sustain a multi-party democracy. The premise being that multi-partyism breeds electoral competition... →
Election Brief: The Youth Vote
21st April 2009 South Africa like most developing nations has a high proportion of its population falling into the category of 'youth'. Although young black South... →
Elections and the Internet in SA
8th April 2009 After last year's historic US elections, much analysis has focused on international interest in now-President Barack Obama's campaign, and it's... →
Politics Trumps Justice? Zuma and the NPA
7th April 2009 On Monday 6 April 2009, the Acting National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP), Advocate Mokotedi Mpshe, announced the National Prosecuting... →
Is how a country treats the most vulnerable of its people not a test of its humanity?
25th March 2009 The small town of Musina on the border between Zimbabwe and South Africa is the first stop for new arrivals and their introduction to what we... →
Everyday issues 'now on election agenda'
18th March 2009 The hype and anxiety over next month's elections has seen a rise in everyday issues receiving political treatment and becoming political or... →
