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Advocating for Sex Workers’ Rights
17 March, 2010

With the 2010 FIFA World Cup less than 100 days away, sex workers across South Africa fear being arrested during the event, as well as an increase in violence, not only from gangsters, but police as well. Commemorating International Sex Workers’ Rights Day on 3 March in Cape Town, efforts aimed at advocating for the decriminalisation of sex workers received much attention, with the main focus on empowering sex workers in knowing their rights and what they should do when their rights are violated, especially at the time of arrest

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South Africa’s King III: A Commercial Governance Code Determining Standards of Conduct for CSOs

The King Report on Governance for South Africa, or the King III as it is called, applies to the public, private and the nonprofit sectors. The principles in the King III have been drafted for every entity concerned with achieving good governance, and could inspire legislation aimed at governing civil society organisations in the country (CSOs). The problem with King III is that it is associated with the Companies Act and speaks to the governance of companies registered in terms of companies’ legislation. The other problem is that it speaks to business and commercial enterprises, ignoring the fact that the nonprofit sector does not rely on trading as the only means to sustain themselves. The claim that every entity can apply the King III principles to achieve good governance is not evident in the report

NPOs and King III: How to Apply?

The King III report on Governance Principles for South Africa unintentionally overlooks the distinctive values on which the South African non-profit sector is based. It is not true that the King III report covers for profit and non-profit entities regardless of their founding constitutions. The non-profit sector should explore the development of a Good Governance Code or Charter that speaks to the specific governance and risk management needs of NPOs. Integrated reports, audit committees, corporate citizenship policies and business rescue proceedings will be meaningless to community-based organisations (CBOs) since they do not have the resources or the technical-know-how to distinguish which of the King III principles apply to them

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A New Response to Informal Settlements

Government should address informal settlement housing backlog in the country. Addressing challenges posed by informal settlements will help government to meet the United Nations Millennium Development Goals such as providing access to basic water and sanitation. Underlying socio-economic causes of informal settlements should be tackled. When addressing challenges posed by informal settlements, government should provide the urban poor with cost effective access to urban environments. Relocating informal settlements is not always a solution; government should provide some form of ‘interim servicing or emergency relief’ including water, sanitation and solid waste removal
The Matric Results Debate: Transforming Our Education System

The majority of poor pupils attend school in the rural areas and townships in South Africa. These schools lack resources and are unable to produce learners who can compete with those who come from former Model C schools. These schools struggle to produce matriculants who meet the university admission requirements. Transformation of the education system cannot happen without ‘dedicated, hard-working, motivated and well-educated teachers’. Township and rural schools need to be capacitated to be able to provide education to a satisfactory standard
TAC Priorities for 2010: Working Toward the NSP Targets

The National Strategic Plan set the 2007-2011 target to reduce HIV infections by 50 percent. Currently, less than half of those infected are able to access antiretroviral treatment. Considering these targets are not being met, how should South Africa go about fighting HIV and AIDS? For the Treatment Action Campaign, focusing on these targets is a high priority. In this article, the TAC offers advice on, amongst other things, how government should improve access to treatment and strengthen its HIV and AIDS education programmes. The TAC also believes that civil society and developing countries should unite to challenge cuts in AIDS funding
Poverty Can Be Eradicated

The country requires ‘holistic and multi-facetted’ anti-poverty strategies that will ensure the poor are liberated from hunger and other forms of sufferings related to poverty. Government should go ahead with its plan to establish a National Council on Poverty
South African Companies Can Lead the Rest in CSI

This article looks at how the global economic downturn is making it difficult for companies to contribute to the development of communities through CSI initiatives. The author argues that corporate philanthropy will disappear as companies struggle to emerge from the crisis. Corporate partners can co-donate with their customers and staff to community-based projects implemented by NGOs and other potential beneficiaries. Poverty, inequality and questionable democracy - some of the realities we live with - could be partly addressed through integrated CSI programmes. Apart from CSI, numerous surveys suggest that South African consumers are increasingly influenced by companies’ environmental and social policies when selecting products and services
NGOs Comment on 2010/11 National Budget

The newly-appointed Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan presented the 2010/11 National Budget to Parliament on 17 February 2010 in Cape Town. As in the past few years, SANGONeT is pleased to present you with the comments and perspectives of various NGOs in response to the budget.Issues covered by the NGO comments range from general observations about the budget to key development priorities such as education, social services, gender, urbanisation, children and health
Polygamy, Promiscuity and Progressive Leadership

People, including politicians, should not use polygamy as an excuse to justify having multiple relationships. The admission by President Jacob Zuma that he fathered a child out-of-wedlock contradicts his commitment to the fight against HIV and AIDS. “It is as dangerous to have a hypocrite as it is to have a denialist leading the country in the fight against HIV and AIDS.” The African National Congress (ANC) and Zuma are correct in saying the president, like any other citizen, has the right to privacy. Both the ANC and Zuma forget that ‘leaders answer to a higher set of standards than even the courts may set’. Our country is deeply patriarchal and requires progressive leaders who will ‘push the envelope, not take us back in time’
NGOs, Business as Agents of Social Change

Businesses should not view their role in corporate social investment (CSI) as that of backing or supporting the initiatives of others as opposed to playing a proactive role. The generalisation that only grassroots-based organisations, institutions and individuals can be effective agents of social change is baseless and unfounded. Apart from NGOs and other players, good governments can also be agents of social change. In this article, Andile Ncontsa explains that companies should not always look at NGOs to implement their CSI initiatives, as some of these organisations are not ‘closer or better attuned to societal issues than the private sector or government’
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