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institute for justice and reconciliationlatest news & developments
Archbishop Desmond Tutu and other members of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission at the first TRC hearing in East London in 1996. But the process of healing has not yet ended.

What is reconciliation in the South African context?

In 2021, there were 16 different understandings of the concept. At the top of the list is the understanding of reconciliation as forgiveness. This is understandable but…

Finance minister Enoch Godongwana.(Brenton Geach/Gallo Images via Getty Images)

Can harsh fiscal trade-offs still improve agency and social cohesion for South Africans?

This year’s budget will be a balancing act, but the treasury needs to prioritise restoring South Africans economic agency

War zone: Fishers head to shore with their catch on the Mozambican coast off the district of Pemba. Thousands of people have fled from the ongoing violence in Cabo Delgado province, which experiences persistent material deprivation. Photo: Alfredo Zuniga/AFP/Getty Images

Youth key to halting insurgency in Mozambique

Young Mozambicans in the country’s north, who are driven to join Islamic insurgents by poverty, must be included in peace and security efforts

Although there are several state-sponsored initiatives aimed at creating work opportunities, these initiatives tend to miss many young people who are isolated as a result of vulnerabilities and social exclusion.

Young people are not a problem to be solved

The youth of South Africa have innate value and potential that needs to be unlocked and nurtured

Stability in Kenya hinges on a just, equitable distribution of resources, and a commitment to progress human development for the marginalised.  (Photo by Donwilson Odhiambo/Getty Images)

Pockets of instability in Kenya are underpinned by unequal development

Stability in Kenya hinges on a just, equitable distribution of resources, and a commitment to progress human development for the marginalised

Soldiers patrol in front of a burned truck carrying the inscription “Shabaab Chinja” referring to the jihadist group in Mocimboa da Praia. (Photo by Simon Wohlfahrt/AFP)

Who finances Mozambique’s insurgency?

Informal banking and trade are both a lifeline for local communities and a grey area for terror financing, requiring progressive efforts to develop rather than de-risk

The big divide: The majority of black people still live in impoverished settlements or townships, whereas most white people remain in better suburbs – a legacy of apartheid.  (Per-Anders Pettersson/Getty Images)

White people: Accept the past still matters

A recent survey shows that white South Africans are still in denial about the legacies of our history

Author Fanie du Toit argues that South Africa’s transition to democracy was successful and offers an alternative theory on reconciliation — that it is a recognition of interdependence. (Juda Ngwenya/Reuters)

Someone is defending SA’s transition

It is an unpopular view, but Fanie du Toit’s evidence and argument shows us a way forward

Study shows rise in race tolerance

The desire for a united South Africa has decreased, according to a study evaluating changes in social attitudes and political views.

South Africans ‘not optimistic about the future’

South Africans are not optimistic about the future, according to this year’s South African Reconciliation barometer.

Zimbabwe: Where to now?

Zimbabwe is on a path of renewal. On March 29 the baby was conceived. The birth pains and the labour might be arduous, but we are absolutely certain that the baby will be…

A neglected moral vision

The fierce struggle to combat apartheid in the years before its demise and in the ongoing fight against its residual effects sometimes, however, loses sight of the fact that the…

Survey shows SA wealth gap widening

South Africa’s wealth gap is widening and the average black citizen still only earns an eighth of what his white counterpart does nearly 14 years after the end of apartheid. In…