On Thursday 15 October, President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed a joint parliamentary sitting to outline his Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan, aimed at helping the economy recover from the ravages of the lockdown implemented to curb the spread of the coronavirus. The key points of the Plan include: a state infrastructure fund that will provide R100 […]
In South Africa the Department of Home Affairs has announced the opening of various international airports and 18 land ports of entry. They also announced an extension until 31 January 2021 of the validity of documents that expired during the time of the national State of Disaster. They said that those with expired documents who […]
A Cautious Opening of Borders On 30th September both the Ministers of International Relations and Co-operation, and of Home Affairs issued statements explaining the re-opening of South Africa’s borders and the protocols for those entering South Africa. From the two speeches, three issues emerge that have direct bearing on the various categories of people on […]
The African Free Trade Agreement and its Potential for Growth The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is an ambitious plan that will create the world’s largest free trade zone in terms of participating countries since the establishment of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). AfCFTA came into being in 2019 when 22 African nations ratified […]
The Vulnerability of Older Persons during COVID-19 Globally, older persons have been identified as being a vulnerable group during the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown imposed to prevent its spread. Furthermore, older persons have been included in the population sector that is vulnerable to the mental health risks associated with COVID-19. According to the World […]
Migrants, Refugees and Asylum Seekers The COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a profound effect on vulnerable people across the globe, and on mobile people in particular. An interesting study has shown how the digital divide has been even more pronounced amongst immigrant families in the US during the pandemic. https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/digital-divide-hits-us-immigrant-households-during-covid-19 Read more: Refugee Digest […]
Introduction Food insecurity occurs when people’s access to food is minimally adequate and they struggle to meet their basic dietary requirements. The opposite – food security – occurs when all people at all times have access to sufficient and nutritious food to meet their dietary requirements for an active and healthy life. This is achieved […]
Introduction Two months ago, with the declaration of a national lockdown due to COVID-19, the Parliament of South Africa decided to halt the passage of the National Health Insurance Bill (NHI). South Africans, especially critics of the idea, could have been forgiven for thinking that the legislation would die a slow death, and thus also […]
While the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown imposed to prevent its spread have exposed the fault lines of inequality in our society, there has been less focus on the psycho-social consequences of the lockdown for families required to stay at home. While for some this has been an opportunity to spend quality time with family, […]
Advocacy implies speaking for the disadvantaged or marginalised in society. We tend to think of advocacy as a modern phenomenon, yet biblical literature has advocated for the marginalised in society since time immemorial. Our world today also marginalizes people, and we can take a leaf out of the Old Testament’s advocacy in these troublesome situations. […]
