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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
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OP-ED | Justice for Cwecwe: How child survivors should be protected
PUBLISHED BY: News24/City Press WRITTEN BY: Zeenat Sujee and Karabo Ozah On Friday, 28 March 2025, the public were justifiably up in arms on social media in response to a story published by Drum magazine, of the rape of 7-year-old Cwecwe at Bergview College in Matatiele, in the Eastern Cape.
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OP-ED | Postponed Budget offers opportunity for rights-based fiscal reform
PUBLISHED BY: Daily Maverick WRITTEN BY: Mduduzi Nkosi and Matshidiso Lencoasa Civil society has consistently advocated for ways to expand public spending without deepening debt or burdening the poor. Now, the challenge is political will. In such a volatile economic climate, leaders must seize this moment to craft a Budget
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OP-ED | Court victory for corporal punishment victims — why this ruling on sanctions against teachers is significant
PUBLISHED BY: Daily Maverick WRITTEN BY: Joy Hlatshwayo, Livhuwani Malelelo and Demichelle Petherbridge Rehabilitative sanctions imposed on two teachers goes some way to vindicating the applicants and their children, underscoring the importance of child participation in disciplinary processes and the need to ensure a holistic approach that prioritises the rights
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Budget 2025: The true state of the nation
PUBLISHED BY: WRITTEN BY: News24/City Press Matshidiso Lencoasa and Gauta Mashego The state of the nation address (SONA) attempted to paint a hopeful vision for South Africa, but promises alone will not build our nation. The upcoming budget speech is the true test of the commitment of the Government of
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OP-ED | How education and support can break the cycle and combat teenage pregnancy in South Africa
PUBLISHED BY: WRITTEN BY: Daily Maverick Zeenat Sujee ‘Child and teenage pregnancy has a ripple effect on young girls and their futures within society. Some of these girls are forced to drop out of school, which in turn increases the cycle of poverty as well as the stigmatisation that comes
