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Polity offers free access to the latest South African, International and Regional African news with the aim of advancing Polity’s mission of deepening democracy through access to information.

5 days ago · South African president Cyril Ramaphosa delivered the first state of the nation address under the government of national unity, in which he called on the country to find its way in a rapidly changing world. Ramaphosa told a joint session of parliament in Cape Town that this included the rise of nationalism, protectionism and the pursuit of narrow interests even as the world faced challenges ...

1 day ago · Africa’s urban transportation crisis reflects broader challenges of rapid urbanisation, historical inequities and governance inefficiencies. Minibus drivers weaving through lanes, standstill traffic and potholes in the roads are daily occurrences for millions across South Africa and the African continent. The rapid urbanisation that …

Polity South African News offers free access to the latest South African regional, with the aim of advancing Polity’s mission of deepening democracy through access to information.

Polity offers engaging and in-depth views from South African opinion makers. Regular columnists and guest writers offer analysis of current local and global events.

Jul 24, 2024 · This paper interrogates major trends in the outcome of the 2024 national and provincial elections against the backdrop of South Africa’s broad political economy. Virtually all analyses of the elections converge at the self-evident conclusion that a fundamental shift has occurred in South Africa’s body politic. But, in large measure, that is where the consensus ends.

Jul 18, 2024 · While giving examples of how life had improved since 1994, Mdumiseni Ntuli, chief whip of the African National Congress (ANC), claimed that “the number of people with jobs increased from 8- to 14-million”. Ramaphosa made a similar claim during the ANC’s 2024 January 8th statement and again during his state of the nation address in February. Both times, Ramaphosa claimed that the number ...

5 days ago · Crime researchers use murder (or homicide) rate per 100 000 as a crude measure of the general level of violent interpersonal crime globally. According to the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime, South Africa’s murder rate of 45 per 100 000 (2023/24) is the second highest for countries that publish crime data. The South African Police Service crime data shows that levels of attempted ...

Oct 7, 2024 · Can the Government of National Unity reconcile its members’ competing interests and achieve a pragmatic, unified approach? Migration has become a critical issue in South Africa’s political discourse. The country has adopted progressive asylum and migration policies, but these have not resulted in a pragmatic migration governance approach. Several factors stand in the way, including ...