Books

In 1996, as South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission was beginning its hearings, Nicholas Gcaleka, a healer diviner from the town of Butterworth in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa, set off on a journey to retrieve the skull of Hintsa, the Xhosa king. Hintsa had been killed by British troops on the banks of the Nqabarha River over a century and a half before and, it was widely believed, been beheaded. From a variety of quarters including the press, academia and Xhosa traditional leadership Gcaleka's mission was mocked and derided.

Debates about governance both within and outside of the South African state are increasingly turning to the question of co-ordination failure the inability of government to make interventions in key problem areas which require the inputs and actions of several government departments and agencies acting in concert with each other. Too often, the opposite occurs the silo effect where government departments work in isolation, unable and in some cases, unwilling to act on the interdependencies that straddle their governance responsibilities.

The unprecedented United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, established in 2000, radically addressed what we knew about warfare – that civilians and especially women were increasingly targeted – and called for a sea change in the ways women should engage in any rebuilding processes – including conflict management, governance, and peacebuilding efforts. Deconstructing Women, Peace and Security offers a critical review and analysis of many gender-based efforts implemented since 2000, including empowerment policies, strategies, and an in-depth study of four particular cases. It calls out the need for conceptualizing gender as a social structure in policy construction. It assesses the ‘good intentions' of policies designed and implemented with core beliefs they will be good for women. Itprovides an important case-based analysis of what is (and is not) working.

This research forms part of a broader project aimed at development and evaluation of interventions for orphaned and vulnerable children. This occasional paper aims to provide a definitional framework and an understanding of orphans and vulnerability.

Democracy and Delivery: Urban Policy in South Africa tells the story of urban policy and its formulation in South Africa. As such, it provides an important resource for present and future urban policy processes.

Authoritarian Regimes of various sorts have crumbled worldwide to give way to liberal constitutional democracies. Prerequisites for the consolidation of the new democracies are regular free and fair elections, granting political parties legitimate authority and citizens protection by the rule of law. Participation in regular, free and fair elections requires a robust civil society that is keen to protect individual freedoms and equality before the law and preserve diverse interests and a rich associational life.

Democracy Compromised puts the spotlight on traditional authorities and addresses two main issues: first, how despite their role in the apartheid state, traditional authorities not only survived, but have won unprecedented powers of rural governance in South Africas democracy, and second, how they derive their authority. In this original and compelling study, Lungisile Ntsebeza carefully details the fascinating history of the chieftaincy in the Xhalanga area of the Eastern Cape. He shows how traditional authorities have been dependent on the support of the state since the advent of colonialism and how deeply traditional structures have been contested. Light is shed on the unexpected renaissance of these authorities under ANC rule and the role of traditional leaders in the process of land allocation is clearly explained.

This paper examines the political and socio-economic factors that influence democratisation throughout South Africa and the African continent. The emphasis is on the policies and impact of government, business and civil society in reducing inequality and poverty. Issues of community empowerment are also examined as a way to promote sustainable development.

Demcracy SA reports in the shades of public opinion about the quality of governance excercised in South Africa, satisfaction with service delivery, percieved national priorities, political preferences and the economy as captured during the national survey of public opinion conducted in November 1999. Respondents were also asked for there opinions on race relations, the fight against crime and the extent to which they trust various national insttutions such as labour unions, the courts, the police and the media.

Since 1994 the HSRC has conducted public opinon surveys to determine shifting patterns of support and perceptions of social issues and democracy. These surveys are condicted on a randomly selected national sample od 2200 adults. In addition the HSRC also conducts election studies.