Matthew Wilhelm Solomon

In the industrial landscape around the Johannesburg inner city, about 24 000 migrant men live in single-sex hostels. A further 15 000 men and women live in informal settlements. Sixty-eight percent of the men and 80% of the women unemployed. But a programme called Mpilonhle-Mpilonde is upgrading the quality of life in hostels and informal settlements through group-based learning.

Ten years into our democracy, gender inequity remains a challenge. Since 1994 we have seen significant changes in policy development that reflect the government’s commitment to responding to this challenge. But implementation of progressive policies has been uneven and the high levels of unemployment, HIV/Aids and sexual violence against women have created a dire situation that government departments have struggled to respond to.

Oasis Association, a community foundation that assists people with intellectual disabilities, is exceptional because of its holistic approach to integrating social concerns with environmental issues.

Berg River Textiles in Paarl, one of the largest cotton mills in South Africa, has shown how environmental improvement can go hand in hand with increased profits.

The evolution of Hillside Aluminium’s reports reflect changes in environmental thinking in recent years. The company’s annual sustainability reports encompass economic, environmental and social impacts over which Hillside has direct control and influence.

The Institute for Water Research offers postgraduate courses in the fields of zoology, entomology, environmental science and geography a chance to get hands-on experience in the field of water research and conservation.

If the call of the open seas and crystalline ice landscapes appeals, Rhodes University offers postgraduate students of zoology and entomology a unique chance to sail the Southern Ocean and travel sub-Antarctic islands.

The lack of suitable penalties for possession, illicit trade and the absence of legislation regulating firearm brokering are contributing to the proliferation of illegal guns in Southern Africa.

Nelson Mandela represents the yin and yang of the political world. His personal iconography has come to represent the fusing of power with compassion; austerity with playfulness; childlike joy with the grief and weariness of years of suffering.

Environmental and community groups are vehemently opposing plans for a toll road running through the wetland areas of False Bay and the south-eastern Cape Flats. The proposed road affects fragile ecosystems with a rich bird, insect, reptile and plant life including a number of endangered species.