South Africa

1. South Africa • 49 million people. • Apartheid- era racial groups, 79 percent of people are Africans, 9 percent whites, 9 percent coloreds, and 3 percent Indians. • predominantly female (52 percent) and youthful, with 33% aged below fifteen years. • middle-income country, • enormous mineral and agricultural wealth, • high unemployment rate24% - or more accurately 37% – mostly black youth, and extreme wealth (mostly white still) inequalities. • Extremely divided.Officially, 28 per- cent of Africans are unemployed, compared to 5 percent of whites. • The Gini co-efficient is In 2005 it was 0.73 – UP from 1995 (0.56), • widespread program of social grants • In 2008, 1.4 percent of the population lived on less than US$1 per day (SAIRR 2010).

2. 20 years democracy • Most progressive Constitution in the world • IN reality – Bill of Rights not achieved – • Implementation weak – weakened by political interference in staturoy bodies to protect human rights in SA • Gender rights in public space – limited in domestic • Highest GBV and male-Male violence of all countries not at war • NO equal access to education, health care • Housing – increased but still shortages • Big rural-urban divide

3. Health • 10% HIV + = over 5 million • History of health rights struggles: • HIV treatment – strong movement built • Economic Policy – neo-liberal – • Overtaken by Nigeria as richest in Africa • Strong imperialist capitalist tendencies • Strong infrastructure but many problems (roads, rail) • Agriculture – • White Afrikaans dominated • Human rights violations • Low wages, evictions, farm worker security limited

4. Poverty • Rural poverty – in some provinces – 2 supported by FO – N. Cape and E. Cape • Poor often invisible

5. Mining • Massive natural resources • Migrant labour • Low wages – high profits • Strong unionised movements – Conflict between union s corruption and co-option among unions • Land raped, plundered, deserted – communities too • Social disintegration due to mining – migrant labour

6. Governance and corruption • Built into miracle of peaceful transition • Mandela – new hope and integrity • Mbeki era – arrogance and closing down debate and civil society co-option • Zuma era – disintegration of social values fabric – corruption systemic – feeds income inequalities and poverty, gender violence, ‘tribalism’, xenophobia, etc

7. Gender • Still massive inequalities, though numbers look good! • Extremely violent – even though strong revision of legislation to protect women – eg redefining rape, etc) • Strong lobbies – ANC, Civil society • Gender – women and men – • Not transformative – raise awareness and improve lives of women - same status • Local level – key challenges (traditional Leaders Bill – challenged and under revision)

8. History of Struggle • Strong advocacy component in FO programme • Balanced with food security also • Rural poor • Urban poverty • (No support system; endemic violence) • Mining sector • July annually – ‘strike season’ • Withdrawal of foreign investors to countries where less empowered labour and lower wages – higheer profits • High levels of corruption in Government – media activism and exposure (less in business- but increasing)

9. Country Programme • Variation of partners – mixed competence and capacity – high level (yesterday) and more rural, community based (learning exchanges) • Two regional networks • Food Security and sovereignty - Mixed • some food security – agro-ecology, etc • Others also strong advocacy component • Link to mining • New issues – cattle impounding, blurring between private and communal land

10. Country Programme • Faith and Justice • Dioceses- low capacity – authoritarian, catechism- capacity building (country Coordination) • Ecumenical – less successful • Education – Theological educaiotn – strong Faith and Justice component

11. Challenges and plans for future (Baseline and MTR) • Reviewing Food Security / sovereignty– • Producers, consumers and workers • Stronger integration FS and obstacles (advocacy) – • Land, water, natural resources and extractives • Ideological foundation (subsistence vs productive and sustainable local economies + link to HR and Justice ) • Clarity re Faith and Justice • Also link between F and J – and Religion and Culture, given centrality of faith in Africa • Integration – F and J and FS • FO small donor for some orgs – • link FO programme and org programmes at times in reporting

12. Challenges • Strategic guidelines: • Too many? • Climate change – working on integrating better • Gender – • Is everybody’s issue – the fundamental form of injustice – underlies all other injustice and is the single most endemic obstacle to meaningful development • not just quantitative disaggregation – but also • Need for stronger interrogation re programme impacts and design (who sets the agenda?) • Addressing Gender as 3rd most NB request for capacity building amongst partners (starting with N Cape)

13. Challenges • M and E: • Searching for qualitative and process indicators – to interrogate the quantitative data • For improvement of programme, integration, sharing of learnings, etc • Identifying trends and celebrating progress – energising! • Need for M and E methods that are comprehensible by communities so they can integrate them also for their own growth and effectiveness