Issue 160: Climate Change, SOS Coalition, Budget Speech

The three articles we feature in this week's edition of NGO Pulse reflect the vibrancy of the South African civil society sector. Media, governance, climate change - all critical areas of ongoing activism both in communities and at the level of policy.

In our first article, independent researchers, Victor Munnik and David Hallowes, focus on the debates about South Africa’s plans to deal with climate change. They commend the government for planning to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. They argue that: “This would be an incredible achievement for South Africa, the biggest greenhouse gas emitter on the African continent, with 73 percent of African emissions.” Click here to read their joint article.

SANGONeT information coordinator, Butjwana Seokoma, attended a two-day SABC Position Paper Workshop hosted by the Save Our SABC Coalition in Johannesburg. Seokoma writes that the workshop was aimed at bringing together coalition members, NGOs and policy-makers to draft a civil society position paper to be used as a lobbying tool for new SABC legislation. He says that the workshop also explored strategies for lobbying for a new SABC Act as well as to chart a way forward for the SOS Coalition. Click here to read his article.

In another article, Seokoma reports back on the Khanya Institute for Community-Driven Development (Khanya-AICDD) seminar entitled “Is there a Crisis of Governance in Southern Africa? If so, Whose Crisis and Whose Responsibility”. He quotes Khanya-AICDD’s rethinking governance practice manager, Vincent Hungwe, as saying that: “Southern Africa needs policies, institutions and systems that are legitimate.” Hungwe favours political systems that are informed by dialogue. Click here to read his article.

April 22 has been announced as the day when South Africans take to the polls in the country's fourth democratic elections. It signifies the beginning of more intense campaigning as political parties will do their utmost to convince the electorate of their ability to deliver. What do party elections manifestos say about the concerns we highlight today? What are the criteria that members of civil society organisations will use to determine how they will vote? How do we measure delivery?

We also feature an article from Consultancy Africa Intelligence (CAI) focusing on the global economic crisis. In this article, CAI’s Johnathan Mundell quotes World Bank’s Julian Schweitzer as saying “the global economic crisis could result in tens of thousands of preventable deaths if countries do not defend programmes aimed at the poor.”

Remember to vote in this month’s poll question. The question asks if organisations which have a surplus of funds would agree to pledge a portion of that surplus to create a National Civil Society Organisation (CSO) Fund which would then leverage further funding from a bank or development fund to cover funds not timeously received for work undertaken on contract. Click here to vote or access the poll question from the front page.

Look out for our special 2009/10 Budget edition of NGO Pulse on 13 February 2009. Unlike previous budget speeches, more South Africans are interested in finding out how the Finance Minister will deal with soaring food prices and the global economic meltdown. Interested civil society organisations can send their comments and contributions to info@sangonet.org.za by no later than 12h00 on Thursday, 12 February 2009.

We also urge you to diarise the SANGONeT roadshow which will be held in Durban from 10-11 March and Cape Town from 12-13 March 2009.

As usual we invite your comments and suggestions.

NGO Pulse Team, editor@sangonet.org.za 
 

We can debate this or that aspect of climate change, but the reality is that most people now accept our climate is indeed subject to change as a result of greenhouse gas emissions.

- Tony Blair, former British Prime Minister.

 

It is clear that there is no shortage of generosity or funds, yet things are not getting substantially better for the poorest of the poor. Until funding is channelled effectively, the struggle to alleviate the country’s socio-economic problems will persist.

- Roxy Mitchell, GreaterGood South Africa.

New Jobs, Proposals & Events

Employment Opportunities

• The Institute for Democracy in South Africa’s Political Information and Monitoring Service seeks to appoint a Political Researcher to be based in Cape Town. The application deadline is 15 February 2009. For more information, click here.
• The Open Democracy Advice Centre, a NGO working to implement the right to know in the interests of social and economic justice, seeks to employ a dynamic Trainer/Advisor to be based in Cape Town. The application deadline is 18 February 2009. For more information, click here. 
• Médecins Sans Frontières invites applications from suitable qualified candidates for the position of Head of Communications to be based in Johannesburg. The application deadline is 27 February 2009. For more information, click here.

Proposals, Grants and Awards