inequality

Public Protector, Thuli Madonsela, has described South Africa as one of the most unequal societies in the world.

In a speech delivered at the University of Stellenbosch, Madonsela says the country is one of the most unequal society despite the constitutional promises which include the substantive notion of equality.

"Compounding the situation is that poverty and unemployment have worsened and also the fact that, that too follows the contours of racial, gender and other forms of structural inequality or discrimination," she explained.

A new study shows that grade R classes have almost zero effect on the future performance of pupils in South Africa’s poorest schools.

Titled ‘The Impact of the Introduction of Grade R on Learning Outcomes’, the study states that, “The impact of grade R in South Africa is small and there is virtually no measurable impact for the poorest three school quintiles, while there are some impacts for the higher quintile school.”

The University of Pretoria's Centre for Human Rights is releasing a gender audit tool for use by universities and other tertiary institutions across Africa in a bid to break down gender equality barriers at these institutions.

Researcher, Yvonne Oyieke, says the tool will be distributed to all higher education institutions on the continent who could then decide whether or not they wanted to use it.

Malawi’s Nsanje Kuchene Women Forum has said despite women being the major agricultural producers in the country, they remain largely absent at all levels of policy-making, project formulation and management of land.
 
The forum's president, Mary Namalomba, notes that under Malawi's formal law, women and men have the right to own land, individually or jointly with others, and the Constitution prohibits gender discrimination.
 

According to Zak Yacoob, a retired Constitutional Court judge, freedom from poverty in the South African context is one of the most important freedoms.

Delivering the fifth annual Helen Suzman memorial lecture in Johannesburg, Yacoob, said that as South Africa's democracy moved towards its 20th anniversary, far too many of its citizens still suffer from poverty.

Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) says that huge disparities in the living conditions of black and white infants in South Africa.

In its report, South Africa's Young Children: Their Parents and Home Environment 2012, statistician general, states that there are 5.3 million in South Africa, representing about 10 percent of the population, of which 85 percent of them are described as ‘black African’.

South African Reserve Bank governor, Gill Marcus, believes quality public education is necessary to address the problems of inequality and poverty.

Marcus points out that, "Public education of the highest standard for all children is critical for democracy to flourish, and was integral to the liberation struggle, as lack of education is the greatest exclusion there can be."