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OP-ED | R15 billion budget, only one new school built. Prioritise SA’s education
PUBLISHED BY: News24 WRITTEN BY: Mduduzi Nkosi Earlier this year, we were again confronted with the recurring issue of unplaced learners and those placed in schools far from their homes. At the time of writing, about 1000 pupils remain unplaced in Gauteng alone. This problem has been a commonplace in
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OP-ED | Sona 2026: Nation-building begins with rebuilding public services
PUBLISHED BY: City Press WRITTEN BY: Matshidiso Lencoasa This week, the state of the nation address (SONA) once again takes centre stage, setting our government’s vision of the year ahead. For most South Africans, the state of our nation is experienced through public services. Daily encounters with schools, clinics and
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OP-ED | Record matric results demand real investment
PUBLISHED BY: News24 WRITTEN BY: Matshidiso Lencoasa Earlier this month, the class of 2025 delivered record matric results, gifting the country a moment of collective pride where young people’s stories are too often characterised by hardship. Not a single district in the top-performing KwaZulu-Natal recorded a pass rate below 85%.
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OP-ED | How gender-responsive budgeting in South Africa can combat entrenched inequality
PUBLISHED BY Daily Maverick WRITTEN BY: Juhi Kasan, Kirsten Pearson, Lisa Higginson, Thokozile Madonko, Aliya Chikte and Matshidiso Lencoasa Gender-responsive budgeting – or GRB in government and policy circles – is an essential tool for achieving a truly equitable society. At its best, GRB goes far beyond superficial allocations to
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OP-ED | Not using the laws against sexual predators in schools means we’re failing our kids
PUBLISHED BY: News24/City Press WRITTEN BY: Zeenat Sujee & Tendai Mafuma When schools fail children, children fail. The scourge of gender-based violence has infiltrated all corners of our society and schools have not been spared. Schools are foundational not only to a child’s future, but to that of our nation.
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OP-ED | Quiet economic growth for whom?
PUBLISHED BY: TimesLive WRITTEN BY: Matshidiso Lencoasa and Clotilde Angelucci Leading up to the medium-term budget policy statement, National Treasury’s director-general Duncan Pieterse has assured the country that Treasury is steering South Africa onto a path of “quiet but firm growth”, aimed at building credibility with investors. As the Budget Justice Coalition, we
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OP-ED | Life Esidimeni: The NPA has the evidence, now it must do its job
PUBLISHED BY: Sunday Times WRITTEN BY: Sasha Stevenson On August 15 2016, Virginia Machpelah died. She was 50 years old. She was 1.5m tall and at the time of her death she weighed 35kg. Her body was emaciated and dehydrated, with gangrene on both feet. The details of Machpelah’s death
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OP-ED | Silent threat: How air pollution may shape SA children’s faces
PUBLISHED BY: News24 WRITTEN BY: Kholofelo Mphahlele In South Africa, pregnant women living in areas with high levels of air pollution face an increased risk of giving birth to a child with a congenial anomaly, particularly craniofacial cleft lip and palate (CLP.) CLP is one of the five most common
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OP-ED | SA’s school safety crisis demands accountability, not just words on paper
PUBLISHED BY: News24 WRITTEN BY: Gauta Mashego Schools do not exist in isolation; they reflect the challenges and struggles of the communities around them. The violence we see in schools often mirrors the deep-rooted issues facing our society. In South Africa, high levels of gender-based violence, poverty, unemployment and substance
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OP-ED | Women still carry heaviest burden of underfunded education system
PUBLISHED BY: Sowetan WRITTEN BY: Matshidiso Lencoasa and Gauta Mashego One of the clearest examples of education budgets hurting women the most is the ongoing scholar transport crisis. It’s Women’s Month again – a time for flashy campaigns, big speeches, and emotional tributes to the resilience of South African women.
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OP-ED | Lessons in Overcoming Barriers in Climate Justice Advocacy
WRITTEN BY: Jonathan West The climate crisis is no longer looming on the horizon; it is a dark storm cloud sitting above our heads. From relentless heatwaves to unprecedented floods, the signs are all around us, growing more urgent by the day. These extreme weather events are not just environmental
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OP-ED | How power dynamics fuel gender-based violence
PUBLISHED BY: News24/City Press WRITTEN BY: Faatima Laher Gender-based violence (GBV) is a deeply rooted and pervasive issue in South Africa, affecting nearly every facet of society. It is often framed in terms of physical harm or visible abuse. But behind every act of violence, lies something less visible and
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OP-ED | Reversing austerity: How Budget 3.0 can restore educational integrity and infrastructure in South Africa
PUBLISHED BY: Daily Maverick WRITTEN BY: Mahfouz Raffee and Matshidiso Lencoasa More than 23,000 posts in education departments have been cut, and now our classrooms are paying the price for austerity. Budget 3.0 will be tabled on 21 May 2025 — a historic moment for our nation’s democracy, which had
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OP-ED | How much of a say do South Africans have in the budget?
PUBLISHED BY: News24/City Press WRITTEN BY: Matshidiso Lencoasa and Bongani Xezwi From a threatened 2% VAT increase that would have deepened the crisis for low-income households, to a disputed fiscal framework passed despite widespread concern, this year’s budget has unfolded amid growing tension between power and participation. The Finance Minister
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OP-ED | Poor infrastructure imperils KZN pupils’ right to education amid climate catastrophes
PUBLISHED BY: Daily Maverick WRITTEN BY: Benni Mudau South Africa faces an urgent obligation under international law to address the impacts of climate change on the right to education. In early 2025, from 16 to 28 February, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) experienced devastating floods, prompting the National Disaster Management Centre to declare
