Development Talk

Kader Asmal (8 October 1934 – 22 June 2011)

 

June 23, 2011

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Creative Consulting and Development Works would like to extend our sympathy to the Asmal family as we join the rest of South Africa in celebrating Kader Asmal and his life as an activist academic and politician.  His ANC comrades hail him as a “selfless man of honour” and that “his death must be a reminder for all of us of the non-racial, non-sexist and prosperous South Africa we committed to build”.  Kader represented the anti-Apartheid movement as a committed ANC member from the United Kingdom during his early professional life after being exiled by the Apartheid government.  In exile he was awarded the Prix UNESCO award for his work in human rights, founded the British Anti-Apartheid Movement, and served as Chairperson for the Irish Apartheid movement.  When he returned to South Africa he became a professor of human rights at University of the Western Cape before he was tapped by the first democratic government to be the Minister of Water and Forestry and later as Minister of Education (a position for which he was appointed personally by President Nelson Mandela).  He was also involved in many other anti-racism and human rights commissions and movements throughout his life. 

Professor Asmal’s memoir will be released in August, and the official launch for the book will be in September at the Open Book Festival in Cape Town.

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The Obamas are in South Africa!

 

June 22, 2011

Michelle, Sacha and Malia Obama pictured with Nelson MandelaThis week the first lady of the United States of America, Michelle Obama and her daughters landed in South Africa.  It is unclear whether there was a state level impetus for her visit, but the response on the ground in South Africa has been overwhelmingly positive.  According to reports locals have been extremely impressed with Mrs. Obama’s warmth and quick wit. Mrs. Obama has engaged with the public and even took a momentary break from the media chaos to address a group of young women in town for a Young Women’s Leadership conference.  So far they have only been to Gauteng where they visited the Apartheid museum and a nursery school in Zandspruit.  She was also able to wrangle a few moments with Madiba and the family of President Jacob Zuma. The Obamas are also expected to visit various sites of importance in other parts of the country.

The diplomatic relations between South Africa and the United States are inextricably tied to the pursuit of democracy, international cooperation in development, global security and the fight against HIV/AIDS.  Mrs. Obama’s visit and her openness with the people of South Africa have reaffirmed the even more important personal relationship between the two countries. 

Watch this space for updates as this story unfolds.

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Trevor’s Depressing Manual

 

June 17, 2011

The Times published an article by Justice Malala on June 13, in which he discusses what he sees as the biggest social problems confronting South Africa in response to the issues outlined in the diagnostic overview of South Africa, a report released by Trevor Manual and the National Planning Commission. Malala’s main argument is that South Africa should not feel content with the progress that has been made in the last two decades, because it still faces big challenges.

One of the biggest challenges is the continued failure to improve the quality of education. Although the government spends about 6% of GDP on education, the public education system is floundering, literacy and numeracy test scores are low by both African and global standards and a wide gap in schooling quality for black and white learners persists. The South African health system is in distress as well; life expectancy is lower than it should be and infant mortality rates are still high. Finally, corruption and irregular over-payment are also massive strains on the system, totaling about R30 billion a year, an amount which could go a long way if it was spent on alleviating poverty.

The document is realistic and convincing. It touches upon many other challenges such as unemployment, inadequate infrastructure, poor public service, class and racial divisions, myopic view of politicians and weakening state and civil institutions. The good news is that these problems don’t fully negate the progress South Africa has already made and they are not insurmountable as long as they are managed. Now, more than ever, it is important that politicians and citizens work together to fix these social problems to ensure a better future for all South Africans.

To read complete document go to: http://www.npconline.co.za/MediaLib/Downloads/Home/Tabs/Diagnostic/Diagnostic%20Overview.pdf

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A Look Back at Youth Day

 

June 15, 2011

Youth Day, 16 June, is a national holiday that commemorates the 1976 student uprisings in Soweto. In 1953 the National Party government of South Africa introduced The Bantu Education Act, which segregated the education system along the lines of race. While this act enabled more children to attend school, it forced children of color into a secondary and substandard education system designed to produce a more docile workforce.  Overwhelming frustration began to take hold of communities as a result of this exclusionary educational system causing many children to drop out of school. In 1976, the government took another step to alienate the majority of non-white South Africans when they introduced the compulsory use of Afrikaans in classes starting from Grade 7.  As the majority of South Africans did not speak Afrikaans as their first language, teachers were not able to teach their subjects and students had difficulties learning. Very dissatisfied with the direction the government had taken the education system, the youth in Soweto decided to demonstrate. Over 20.000 students gathered on 16 June to march to the office of the department of education in Booysens to express their dissatisfaction.  

Hector Pieterson

 The peaceful demonstrators were met by armed police and military vehicles. Without warning, a policeman shot into the crowd.  The unprovoked shot tore through the crowd and struck twelve year old Hector Pieterson. The photo of his lifeless body has become a symbol of uprisings in Soweto. 

  The official number of deaths after the brutal conflict is only 23, but unofficial numbers range anywhere from 200-600 and most of the victims were younger than 23. The student uprisings of 1976 were a turning point in the long struggle for liberation and helped to guide South Africa to a more inclusive, democratic order.  As South Africans stop work to remember this day, let’s all take a moment to remember the lessons history has taught us.

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Social Media: Helping to Educate Mozambique

 

June 13, 2011

 

A new day is dawning in Mozambique.
After nearly many years of civil unrest, the small nation on South Eastern coast of Africa is starting to rebuild. The promise of limitless possibilities beams from the smiles of school children running to new or partially built schools. Unfortunately, these smiles often turn to tears as financial backers of many development projects are failing to meet their commitments. As the global financial crisis strikes panic in the hearts of funding institutions, money initially earmarked to help develop post war Mozambique has all but dried up. In response to the growing number of commissioned development projects losing financial backing, Celio Mondlane of Fundacao Joaquim Chissano and Minister of Education Dr. Zeferino Martins, have turned to social media to encourage wide spread investment in their county’s future as well as showcasing its success stories. Educate Mozambique is the blog platform where anybody can learn about and support education initiatives all over Mozambique. It is essentially a way of crowd sourcing new

Flag of Mozambique

 avenues of funding, empowering individuals with information about ways they can contribute. Now, instead of waiting for a massive check that may never come from a bank that no longer considers “charity” a priority, any number of concerned individuals from anywhere in the world can give a little bit of money or time to make a big difference in the lives of children in Mozambique.

Visit the site learn to more about how you can support Educate Mozambique!

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