28 July, 2010

The increasing youth unemployment, extreme poverty and other related socio-economic challenges call for government and civil society to work together to improve the lives of the people. Uplifting people’s lives requires officials in government to adopt a zero-tolerance to corruption and tenderpreneurship, which rob the country of its resources and also compromising service delivery. There is also a need to deepen our democracy and strengthen civil society

Many nonprofit organisations are on the brink of collapse due to a lack funding. The sector has already lost many activists and leaders to government and business, while many organisations struggle to remunerate their staff. The recent global financial crisis and donors’ tendency to fund corporate social investment projects as opposed to policy research organisations, also add to the problem

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The increasing shortage of competent fundraisers in South Africa leaves many non-profit organisations struggling to sustain themselves. To address this problem there is a need for South African Qualification Authority accredited training programmes aimed at capacitating fundraisers to compete in the world of fundraising. The local non-profit sector might be under threat from overseas talent scouts looking for the best expertise in the business

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South African men should respect the constitutional rights of women. They should learn to work together with women to end gender-based violence (GBV). Ending the latter requires society to discourage, among others, patriarchal practises that encourage all forms of violence against women. In addition, we need to create conditions that empower rape survivors to speak out against GBV and not expose them to secondary victimisation within society

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Governments should work towards increasing the number of women in positions of influence at national level and within other state institutions. Increasing their number, especially in positions of influence, will give an opportunity for women to provide leadership and participate in decision-making processes. Countries in the sub-Saharan region should end oppressive cultural practices, illiteracy, domestic violence and other factors preventing an increase in female political representation

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The Basic Education Minister, Angie Motshekga, recently announced that a new national curriculum will replace outcome-based education (OBE) to meet today’s challenges. Unlike the OBE, the new curriculum reduces the administrative burden on teachers to allow them to focus on teaching. However, it is not saying anything about teacher development, something that government should invest in to capacitate teachers to implement the new curriculum

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Sexualised advertising reinforces negative stereotypes about women, including portraying women as sex objects. It suggests certain gender roles for women and girls and emphasises the stereotype of women being ‘more about looks than brains’. Negative stereotypes perpetuated by sexualised advertising have the potential to shape boys’ attitudes towards women and girls. These attitudes are leading to an increase in gender-based violence in the country

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The spirit displayed by South Africans prior and during the FIFA World Cup could be used to inspire communities to work together to improve the lives of the poor. The tournament could also help us to understand that social well-being and human development is everyone’s responsibility. In addition, people should be encouraged to give, since philanthropy is one of the ways through which communities and/or individuals could be involved in their own development

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South Africa should prioritise municipalities when allocating resources in order to address the imbalances created by the apartheid regime. Equal distribution of resources to local governments, especially those in the rural areas, will also go a long way in helping municipalities to improve the way in which they offer services. In addition, lack of funding and managerial capacity will make it difficult for local governments to utilise and account for money spent

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Transforming the education system should be about investing in the infrastructure, creating conditions that are conducive to learning and capacitating the teachers. Parents should also be empowered in order to become actively involved in the education of their children. Government should partner with businesses to support corporate social investment initiatives. In addition, South Africa’s infrastructure projects should include the social aspects of that particular environment as project success factors, and not just a building

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It is not fair for businesses to criticise civil society organisations (CSOs) for not operating like them. Unlike businesses, CSOs do not exist for profit but are about social change. The claim that non-profits pay their staff excessive salaries is not true since these organisations are accountable to various stakeholders, including their boards, beneficiaries, the public and donors. The non-profit sector does not only hold government and business to account, but also has a social, economic and political role to play

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