Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) seminars

Social housing is a powerful tool for integrating divided cities. It can also help low income households to get on in life and thrive by providing a secure home base with good access to jobs and amenities. The HSRC recently completed a study of social housing’s contribution to spatial transformation and upward social mobility in South Africa. The purpose of this webinar is to share the findings and to stimulate discussion about the next steps for policy and practice.

A mixed picture emerged from the research, both in terms of location and upward mobility. Although social housing has a unique mandate to promote urban integration, over the last 27 years there has been a ‘spatial drift’ of new projects away from inner cities towards outer urban areas. This has been most apparent in Johannesburg, and least common in Tshwane. The pressure to accelerate delivery is partly responsible, along with the cost of well-located land. Another important conclusion is that insufficient attention has been devoted to supporting household advancement and finding the most effective pathways to improve people’s life chances.

The discussion will test the veracity of these findings and consider what needs to be done to improve the location of social housing and increase the contribution it makes to upward mobility.

INTRODUCTION:

Agence Française de Développement & EU Delegation

PRESENTERS:

Ivan Turok, Andreas Scheba and Justin Visagie (HSRC/UFS)

DISCUSSANTS:

Representatives from SHRA, NASHO, NHFC, Public Works and DBSA.

FACILITATOR:

Helen Rourke (DAG)

For more information: http://www.hsrc.ac.za/en/events/seminars/social-housing-spatial-transformation-and-upward-mobility

In keeping with the spirit of 1976 Soweto Uprising, Women in Science in partnership with the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) and Impact Centre held a dialogue to commemorate the role the youth played in the events surrounding the historical day. The dialogue looked at developing activities and reflecting on the history, present realities and future of young people in the country. 

It focused on the unemployment crisis in the country particularly the youth who are most acutely affected. The idea was to conceptualise an innovative research approach to confront the challenges and prospects associated with the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which has raised contentious debates about its role in job creation. 

Gloomy statistics 

The 2021 quarterly labour force survey showed that the unemployment rate increased substantially compared to the last quarter of 2020. Furthermore, in an expanded definition that includes job seekers, unemployment is at 43.2%. According to Statistics South Africa, the unemployment rate is the highest amongst people aged 15 to 34. Thus, youth unemployment under the expanded definition is 74.7%. 

South Africa is one of the countries with the highest inequalities, and the year-on-year rise in unemployment points to the need for rigorous engagement on policy, innovation and the industrialisation trajectory as touted in the country’s pathways to economic recovery and job creation. The aforementioned interventions are conceptually targeted at creating employment for youth, stimulate the economic climate and reduce inequalities. 

Strategic plan 

Through knowledge co-creation, innovative solutions can be crafted in order to understand domestic challenges experienced by youth especially in marginalised communities. The strategic plan of the HSRC includes utilising the national, regional and global leadership in the production and use of targeted knowledge to support the eradication of poverty, the reduction of inequalities and the promotion of employment. Through this dialogue, the Partnerships Directorate in the Impact Centre anticipated that the debate will enrich ideas, and build up relations that can identify creative pockets in the public communities. 

The objectives of the dialogue were to engage on the following: 

• To understand the underlying challenges facing the youth in the current economic climate, especially considering the future of work; 

• To establish a mechanism to support skills planning, identify capacity gaps in preparation for the labour market; and 

• To ensure the youth is adequately prepared for a technology driven economy that requires young people to be proficient in science, technology and digital literacy. 

More information: http://www.hsrc.ac.za/en/events/events/4ir-and-youth-unemployment

Inspiration or Aspiration?

Organised by the Africa Institute of South Africa (AISA) in the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), this Diplomatic Conversation will address the theme chosen by the African Union (AU) for 2021 – Year of the Arts, Culture and Heritage: Levers for Building the Africa We Want. Launched during the 34th AU Assembly under the leadership of the current Chairperson of the African Union, H.E. President Félix Antoine Tshisekedi, the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the theme is a declaration at a continental level for Member States to invest more resources in African cultures and heritages as a vehicle for promoting and achieving the national economic and social development goals outlined in Africa’s Agenda 2063. The AU declaration of 2021 as the year of African cultures, heritages and arts may also be seen as an extension of sort of the 2020 focus on ending conflicts through ‘silencing the guns’, since culture plays a leading role in sustainable peace.

The speakers look at the position of the arts, culture and heritage sector within the national agendas of African countries, and the efforts made towards building the Africa We Want through cultural and creative industries. What can Africa do to ensure that this AU theme does not fall on deaf ears and that there are decisive steps undertaken to respond to it? How can the AU Member States use the arts, culture and heritage as levers of sustainable development? The ultimate question is whether that ‘imagined’ Africa is just an aspiration or a possible projection for a near future.

For more information: http://www.hsrc.ac.za/en/events/events/diplomatic-conversation-arts-culture-heritage

The South African government is committed to fighting xenophobia and providing a welcoming environment for documented migrants living in the country, despite the devastating impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on countries’ fiscal resources throughout the world. Among other things, the pandemic has forced countries to close their borders to manage rates of infection and redirect scarce national resources to meeting the needs of citizens who have already been affected by the lockdown situations. 

While the availability of vaccines have been positive for the economic recovery of many countries, there are new concerns emerging including the impact of “vaccine passports” on the free movement of people.  National vaccination programmes will also not mean an automatic recovery of the economy, which has contracted by 7% and is predicted to only be likely to return to pre-Covid-19 levels by 2023/24. Unemployment figures announced by Statistician-General Risenga Maluleka earlier this month indicate that, at 32.6% it is at the level last seen 13 years ago. 

What then does a shrinking tax base and fewer fiscal resources mean for how South Africa fulfils its international obligations to fight xenophobia? How will our nation protect refugees, asylum seekers and foreign workers from discrimination?

CHAIR: 

Dr Konosoang Sobane (HSRC Impact Centre)

PANEL:   

Dr Steven Gordon (HSRC DCES)

Ms Danaline Franzman, Chief Director: Social Justice and Participatory Democracy, Department of Justice and Correctional Services

Mr Amir Sheikh, Chairman of the Somali Community Board

Ms Sharon S Ekambaram, Manager, Refugee and Migrant Rights Programme, Lawyers for Human Rights

For more information: http://www.hsrc.ac.za/en/events/seminars/addressing-marginalization-of-refugees-asylumseekers-foreign-workers-in-sa

The South African manufacturing and services sectors remain squarely in the crosshairs of economic and industrial policy makers and, equally, business leaders and sector analysts. Whether to stimulate much-needed growth, as in the case of the manufacturing sector, or to adapt to widespread technological change, as in the case of services firms, the argument for a reimagined industrial strategy could not be more compelling or urgent.

In this context, innovation is centrally positioned as both a key engine of development and a catalyst for growth. However, little is known about the impacts of innovation on productivity in manufacturing and services businesses in South Africa, with studies focussing mainly on the role of R&D.

Showcasing new econometric modelling, using data from the South African Business Innovation Survey, 2014-2016, the seminar delves into relationships between different types of technological and non-technological innovation and business productivity. Policy issues and questions for discussion with national and sector stakeholders include: what factors or firm characteristics influence the decision to innovate? What support mechanisms incentivise innovation? Is the relationship between innovation and productivity always positive?

Presenters: Dr Atoko Kasongo and Dr Amy Kahn, Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation Indicators, HSRC

Moderator: Godfrey Mashamba, Deputy Director-General: Evaluation, Evidence and Knowledge Systems, Department of Performance Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME)

Discussant: Saul Levin, Director: Trade and Industrial Policy Strategies (TIPS)

For more information: http://www.hsrc.ac.za/en/events/seminars/impact-of-innovation-on-productivity 

Migrants, Thinkers, Storytellers develops an argument about how individual migrants, coming from four continents and diverse socioeconomic backgrounds, are in many ways affected by a violent categorisation that is often nihilistic, insistently racial, and continuously significant in the organisation of South African society. The book also examines how relative privilege and storytelling function as instruments for migrants to negotiate meanings and shape their lives. It employs narrative lifestory research as its guiding methodology and applies various disciplinary analytical perspectives, with an overall focus on social categorisation and its consequences. The featured stories stress how unsettled, mutable and in flux social categories and identities are – just as a messy pencil sketch challenges clear definitions.

MODERATOR:

Leslie Bank, Deputy Executive Director of the Economic Development and Performance Unit at the HSRC. Adjunct Professor at Walter Sisulu University and University of Fort Hare. Author of Migrant Labour after Apartheid: The inside story (edited with Dorrit Posel and Francis Wilson, 2020), Covid and Custom in Rural South Africa: Culture, healthcare and the state (with Nelly Sharpley, 2021), Home Spaces, Street Styles: Contesting power and identity in a South African city (2011) and other books.

PANELISTS:

Oswald Kucherera, Cape Town-based storyteller, human rights activist and educator. Author of The Exodus Down South (2016) and Washing Dishes and Other Stories (2018).

Angelo Martins Junior, Research Associate at the University of Bristol's School of Sociology, Politics & International Studies (SPAIS) and coordinator of the Research Challenge ‘Control, Conflict, Resistance’ at the Migration Mobilities Bristol Research Institute (MMB). Author of Lives in Motion: Notebooks of an Immigrant in London (2015) and Moving Difference: Brazilians in London (2020).

Faith Mkwesha, Researcher and Visiting Scholar at the Swedish School of Social Science Subunit, University of Helsinki. Chief Executive Director and Founder of Sahwira Africa, an anti-racist organisation. Author of Rasismi, valta ja vastarinta: Rodullistaminen, valkoisuus ja koloniaalisuus Suomessa (Racism, power and resistance: Racialization, whiteness and coloniality in Finland, edited with Suvi Keskinen and Minna Kristiina Seikkula, 2021) and Zimbabwe Women Writers from 1950 to the Present: re-creating gender images (PhD Thesis, 2016). 

Alice Ncube, Senior Lecturer at the Natural and Agricultural Sciences; and Senior Lecturer and Programme Director at the Disaster Management Training and Education Centre, University of the Free State. Author of The socio-economic coping and adaptation mechanisms employed by African migrant women in South Africa (PhD Thesis, 2017).

In conversation with the editors of Migrants, Thinkers, Storytellers - Jonatan Kurzwelly (University of Göttingen and University of the Free State) and Luis Escobedo (University of the Free State) and other book contributors.

For more information: http://www.hsrc.ac.za/en/events/seminars/virtual-launch-migrants-thinkers-storytellers 

The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is having a major impact on all aspects of life, both in South Africa and globally. The chief technological developments associated with the 4IR offer much promise for human development and improvements in quality of life. Yet, as this book explores, these technologies are a double-edged sword, bringing both benefits and drawbacks, particularly in relation to the realisation and enjoyment of fundamental human rights and freedoms. 

This book constitutes the first major investigation of the real and potential human rights implications of the 4IR in South Africa, following the work of the South African Human Rights Commission in this area. Addressing issues such as unemployment, poverty, development and local government in the 4IR; bias, discrimination and the digital divide; internet rights and responsibilities; privacy and cybersecurity; and predictive policing, surveillance and digital justice, this book offers an in-depth review of the current and emerging regulatory frameworks relating to human rights and 4IR-related technologiesin South Africa.

With contributions from social scientists, ethicists and human rights experts, and a Foreword from the SAHRC CEO, Advocate Tseliso Thipanyane, this book will be of wide interest to policy-makers, academics and the public interested concerned with the future of South African constitutionalism.

SPEAKERS

Adv. Tseliso Thipanyane, Chief Executive Officer, South African Human Rights Commission

Prof Sizwe Snail ka Mtuze, Member: Information Regulator; Director, Snail Attorneys @ Law Inc

Dr Rachel Adams, Chief Research Specialist: Science in Society, Impact Centre, Human Sciences Research Council

Mark Gaffley, PhD Candidate, Faculty of Law, University of Cape Town

Nokuthula Olorunju, PhD Candidate, Faculty of Law, University of Cape Town

For more information: http://www.hsrc.ac.za/en/events/events/book-launch-ai-and-future-of-africa

The Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence (University of Cambridge) and the Human Sciences Research Council, South Africa, are delighted to announce a series of three virtual workshops entitled ‘Global AI Narratives: Sub-Saharan Africa’. 

Different cultures see Artificial Intelligence through very different lenses: diverse religious, linguistic, philosophical, literary, and cinematic traditions have led to diverging conceptions of what intelligent machines can and should be. The Global AI Narratives: Sub-Saharan Africa workshops are part of a series of events dedicated to the dissemination of these diverse AI narratives around the world. 

Funded by DeepMind Ethics and Society and the Templeton World Charity Foundation, Inc., the Global AI Narratives Project aims to establish new connections between academics, artists, writers, designers and technologists working on AI in different regions of the world. 

Workshop 3 - Afro/African-futurisms

Meeting Chair:             Dr Rachel Adams

14:00 – 14:05:              Welcome, opening and introductions - Dr Rachel Adams

14:05 – 14:10:              Opening remarks - Dr Stephen Cave

14:10 – 14:25:              Dr Ralph Borland: Dubship I and Digi-Dub Club: Telling Tales  with Technology

14:25 – 14:40:              Dr Nedine Moonsamy: Notes on Conceptualising the African Technoscientific Imaginary through African Science Fiction

14:40 – 14:55:              Dr Divine Fuh: Revenge of the Nerds: AI, Ethics and Masculinities

14:55 – 15:05:              Discussant: Dr Buhle Khanyile             

15:05 – 15:50:              Open discussion and Q&A - Moderator: Rachel Adams

15:50 – 16:00:              Closing Remarks – Dr Kanta Dihal

For more information: https://www.ainarratives.com/sa-workshop-iii-programme

International Symposium on Poetic Inquiry

Part 1: Speaking, Wednesday, 26th May

Intersectionality helps us to recognise that people experience the world differently based on social identities— such as gender, sexuality, age, race, class, and disability, among others. For many marginalised people, these mutually reinforcing identities create unique experiences of oppression and discrimination. The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown a spotlight on these inequalities. Poetry provides a vehicle for expressing and seeing how unfair exclusion and unearned inclusion are embodied, expressed in the silences we inhabit, in the ways we are in(visible) to self, others, community and our environment.

Poetic Inquiry to render voice and visibility:  Opening talk by Canadian Dr. Monica Prendergast who played a pivotal role in the establishment of poetic inquiry as a research method. Followed by a discussion moderated by Yvonne Sliep with Duduzile Ndlovu and Heidi van Rooyen (all South African researchers and poetic inquirers). 

Poets traverse intersections of silence and (in)visibility: A poetry performance and discussion moderated by Raphael d’Abdon (writer, scholar, editor and translator) with three incredible young South African poets Maneo Mohale, Mjele Msimang and Pieter Odendall.

More information: https://www.poeticinquiry.ca/2021-ispi-webinars.html

Professor Pearl Sithole, Vice-Principal of the University of the Free State, delivers this year’s lecture under the theme, Lessons from Mafeje’s theories and positionality of Africans on Science and Innovation.

Objectives of the lecture are:

•To explore Africanity as a means to respond to Africa’s diverse challenges through decolonising and promoting science and innovation. 

•To reflect on Africa’s response to pandemics and interpretations thereof;

•To provide recommendations on how African institutions can participate in the science revolution through pedagogy and practice.

The event also features an address by the Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Buti Manamela. 


SPEAKERS

Dr Awino Okech

Reader in Gender Studies, SOAS, University of London.

Panel Session Chairperson

Prof Puleng Lenka-Bula

Principal and Vice-Chancellor of University of South Africa

Archie Mafeje and the significance of his work in the education landscape

Dr Mpho Tshivhase

Senior Lecturer, University of Pretoria and Stanford University Fellow

The quest to explore interdisciplinary inquiry through Mafeje’s ideologies

Prof Adebayo Olukoshi

Director, International Institution for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, West Africa and West Asia

Archie Mafeje and the agenda to decolonise knowledge in Africa

Prof Edith Phaswana

Associate Professor & Head of Academic Programmes at the Thabo Mbeki African School of Public & International Affairs 

Reflection on Archie Mafeje’s quest to decolonise knowledge and its relevance for public and international affairs in Africa.

For more information: http://www.hsrc.ac.za/en/media-briefs/general/archie-mafeje-memorial-lecture-press-release#ArchieMafejeMemorialLecture2021

Making Institutions Work in South Africa recognises that institutions are the pillars of a constitutional democracy they evolve through the actions of persons and as organisations they form structures of dynamic, shared social patterns of behaviour. The book offers interdisciplinary critical commentary by scholars, analysts and experts regarding strategic thinking, structural and functional impediments and facilitators to institutions.


HOST

Danelle Plaatjies, LLB (UCT) LLM Candidate (UCT)

READERS

Stephen Porter, Evaluation Strategy Advisor, Independent Evaluation Group, World Bank

Neil Cole, Executive Director, Collaborative Africa Budget Reform Initiative

Chen Tseng, Head Research Financial and Fiscal Commission

Isaac Moroe, Former banned and banished journalist, Member of the NEC of MK National Council

For more information: https://www.rienner.com/title/Making_Institutions_Work_in_South_Africa

Online seminar

15 April 2021

The coronavirus pandemic has had far-reaching effects on urban lives and livelihoods. Some of these are likely to prove temporary as the vaccine is rolled out and the recovery gathers momentum. However, there are bound to be more profound changes too, depending on the shape and speed of the recovery. In the future, will dense economic nodes and large cities struggle to compete against outlying centres and more dispersed urban regions? Will digital technologies reinforce many of the existing urban divides? Or can opportunities be created to rethink and reinvent our cities to be more inclusive and productive? In short, how will the urban landscape be altered in the period ahead? 

In this webinar, world renowned economic geographer Michael Storper discusses the impact the pandemic and its economic, fiscal, social and political fallout on metropolitan areas. His paper, co-authored with Richard Florida and Andrés Rodriguez-Pose, analyses the effects of Covid-19 on countries at the intra- and inter-regional geographic scales. They look at four main forces: the social scarring caused by the pandemic; the lockdown as a forced experiment; the need to secure the urban built environment against future risks; and changes in the urban form and system. At the macro scale, they argue that Covid-19 is unlikely to alter the winner-takes-all economic geography and spatial inequalities of the global city system. At the micro scale, however, they suggest that it may bring about a series of short-term and some longer-running changes in the structure and morphology of cities, suburbs, and metropolitan regions. The extent of these changes will depend on the severity and duration of the pandemic.

After the talk two prominent South African urbanists,  Mr Kuben Naidoo and Dr Geci Karuri-Sebina, offer reflections and implications for South Africa.



PROFESSOR MICHAEL STORPER

Distinguished Professor of Regional and International Development at UCLA, Professor of Economic Geography at the London School of Economics, and Professor of Economic Sociology at Sciences Po in Paris.

DISCUSSANTS: 

Kuben Naidoo, Deputy Governor, South African Reserve Bank

Dr Geci Karuri-Sebina, Wits University

FACILITATOR: 

Prof Ivan Turok, SARCHI Chair in City-Region Economies at UFS and HSRC

For more information: http://www.hsrc.ac.za/en/events/seminars/cities-in-a-post-covid-world

24 March 2021



Online seminar

In order to manage the spread of COVID-19 and protect the healthcare sector, South Africa has been in various levels of lockdown for a whole year. This has impacted on many aspects of life in the country including, amongst others, human rights, economy, education and lifestyle.  While the real impact of the lockdown will become evident in time, the Human Sciences Research Council and the University of Johannesburg have conducted various surveys over the past year looking at public sentiment towards various issues.

As South Africa commemorated Human Rights Day 2021, the HSRC and UJ shared findings of how South Africans feel about human rights and the limitation of freedoms during the pandemic. The findings have critical policy and social implications that need to be considered and built into an effective strategic and regulatory response, that minimises risk, promotes recovery, all the while considering public needs and preferences.



PANELISTS:

Adv Tseliso Thipanyane, CEO of the South African Human Rights Commission

Mark Heywood, Human Rights and Social Justice Activist

CHAIR: 

Dr Rachel Adams, Chief Research Specialist, HSRC

5 March 2021



Online seminar

Join us in this inaugural seminar series on the AfCTA, jointly organised by the Africa Institute of South Africa (AISA) in the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) and the Tshwane University of Technology’s Institute for Economic Research on Innovation (IERI). In this seminar, the panelists, discussants and audience will interrogate four issues, namely:

The prospects for viable economic integration in Africa: Prof Mario Scerri, Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Economic Research on Innovation (IERI), TUT.

What goods and services can initiate greater intra-Africa trade? Dr Nkisang Moeti, President, Moeti Practicum Institute, Botswana. 

Off the beaten track: a new economic development orthodoxy for Africa? Prof Francis Nwonwu Director - Research and Development Consulting (Pty), Pretoria and Honorary Research Fellow, Human Science Research Council (HSRC), Pretoria.

Tackling the present and future global crises without compromising the Africa development agenda. Dr Michael Ehis Odijie, Research Fellow, University College London. 

DISCUSSANTS: 

Prof Busani Moyo, College of Economic and Management Sciences. School of Economic and Financial Sciences. Department: Economics. University of South Africa

Dr Mamello Nchake, Senior Research Fellow: Trade Industry and Private Sector Development. Botswana Institute for Development Policy Analysis

Dr Precious N. Ndlovu, Senior Lecturer Mercantile and Labour Law Department, Faculty of Law. University of the Western Cape

CHAIR: 

Dr Vuyo Mjimba, Chief Research Specialist HSRC-AISA

For more information: http://www.hsrc.ac.za/en/events/seminars/continental-free-trade-area

17 February 2021



Online seminar

Overview: How South Africa lifts itself out of the pandemic-induced macroeconomic crisis is a societal debate with knock-on effects that are likely to last for years if not decades to come. The depth and scale of the macroeconomic contraction (with SA 2020 growth rate expected to average at - 7,5%) will not only cut fiscal resources available for equitable socioeconomic priorities. Recent National Treasury statements also warn of a looming sovereign debt crisis that call for rethinking long-term adjustments in how the state allocates its limited fiscal resources. What are the implications of a prolonged Covid-19 depression for government’s latest economic crisis response plan (Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan) and the longer-term National Development Plan (Vision 2030)? What policy options exist for sustainable and equitable macroeconomic reconstruction and recovery beyond Covid-19? 

This event is part of a new HSRC initiative which promotes evidence-informed solutions to diverse macroeconomic puzzles that hinder transformational development in South Africa, our continent and beyond. The Dialogues also aim to strengthen cooperation with policy practitioners, academia and non-governmental stakeholders. 

Policy Dialogue Panel:

Dr Alexis Habiyaremye former Senior Research Specialist in Inclusive Economic Development (IED), HSRC 

Dr Seeraj Mohamed is a Macroeconomics Expert on Financialisation

Dr Gilad Isaacs is a Director at the Institute for Economic Justice

Discussant: Prof. Fiona Tregenna holds the DST/NRF South African Research Chair in Industrial Development, and is a Professor of Economics at the University of Johannesburg

For more information: http://www.hsrc.ac.za/en/events/seminars/policy-options-beyond-covid19

26 January 2021



Online seminar

Overview: The COVID-19 crisis has forced us all to work remotely, from home or from anywhere. While many have been flirting with this concept for the past decade or two, the pandemic has accelerated our practice and thinking. This webinar asks: Is it time to cut the cords of attachment to physical offices? What do we gain from Working from Anywhere (WFA), and what do we lose? Who should work from anywhere and who should be office-based? 

As organisations recognise this pivotal moment in working arrangements, we seek to explore issues relating to the consequences of WFA including productivity, enabling onboarding of staff to company culture and promoting collegiality, while we grapple with the financial implications of this change. 

Beyond the economic considerations, the questions of inequality are central in South Africa. How will workers contend with this changing dynamic, given that not everyone lives in similar socio-economic conditions? With the blurred boundaries between home and work life, Is the parent more productive at home, and how can they be better supported for such a change? During this symposium, hear from practitioners in the science, research, legal, human resources and the tech sectors about their perspectives pertaining to the pivot to WFA, focusing on both the economic and social concerns affecting workers. We also amplify the voices of workers on how WFA has impacted their lives. The symposium helps us understand what WFA means for how we work now and in the future and offers recommendations which contribute to developing WFA policy.

--

WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS

Prof Sharlene Swartz - HSRC Inclusive Economic Development Divisional Executive (Symposium Chairperson)

KEYNOTE ADDRESS – OUR WORK-FROM-ANYWHERE FUTURE

Prof Raj Choudhury - Harvard Business School, Associate Professor of Business Administration

RESPONDENT – THE SOUTH AFRICAN PERSPECTIVE

Mr Krish Chetty - HSRC, Chief Researcher 

PANEL DISCUSSION

Mr Andile Mabindisa - CSIR, Group Executive: Human Capital and Communication

Guiding principles for the development of a WFA policy for the CSIR 

Adv Anton Boswel - Anton Boswel & Associates, Owner

Employment Contracts & Occupational Health and Safety

Mr Danny Tuckwood - METACO, Operations Director

The Psycho-Social Perspective

Mr Themba Mnisi - HSRC, IT Business Relationship Manager

IT Enablement

Ms Shirin Motala - HSRC, Chief Research Manager

Panel Synthesis 

BREAKAWAY SESSIONS - MOVING TOWARDS DEVELOPING NEW WAYS OF WORKING

Lead facilitator - Ms Shirin Motala

REPORT BACK FROM BREAKAWAY SESSIONS

For more information: http://www.hsrc.ac.za/en/events/seminars/wfa and http://www.hsrc.ac.za/en/review/hsrc-review-march-2021/working-from-anywhere

18 November 2020

Online seminar 

Overview: Backyard housing is booming across many South African townships. Enterprising households and small-scale developers are investing in solid single- and double-storey flats. This is boosting the supply of decent rental accommodation and offering opportunities to kick-start the recovery and create jobs from the bottom-up. Yet, the informal and unregulated character of these developments creates risks for public infrastructure, neighbourhood stability and sustainable environments. This webinar organised by the HSRC brings together key role players to debate the main policy issues arising from this new phenomenon: How can backyard real estate be leveraged to bolster township economic development? How can backyard developments contribute to more live-able township environments, rather than overcrowded and insanitary conditions? The Covid-19 crisis demands urgent efforts to bolster township economies and increase the supply of affordable housing. Presenters will discuss ways of strengthening linkages across the housing value chain, scaling-up construction activities, widening access to external finance, streamlining onerous regulations and increasing the skills and capacity of township enterprises. The webinar will also explore the desirability of precinct-based approaches, mixed-use developments and formalisation strategies to maximise the public benefits and transform townships into more liveable and sustainable neighbourhoods. The webinar will conclude by reflecting on the lessons learnt and provide suggestions for the way forward. 

PRESENTERS 

Mr Jak Koseff, Office of the Premier, Gauteng Provincial Government 

Mr Charles Rudman, City of Cape Town 

Ms Claire du Trevou, Bitprop 

Mr Zama Mgwatyu, Development Action Group 

Mr Paul Jackson, TUHF (TBC) 

Mr Neville Chainee, National Department of Human Settlements 

FACILITATORS 

Prof Ivan Turok, Dr Andreas Scheba, Dr Justin Visagie, HSRC-UFS SARChI Chair collaboration 

For more information: http://www.hsrc.ac.za/en/events/seminars/backyard-real-estate-webinar

24 November 2020 

Online seminar 

Overview: This webinar is hosted by the HSRC and its collaborators from the University of Cape Town’s AIDS and Society Research Unit in partnership with the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) and UNFPA. As we approach the fourth decade of the HIV pandemic, there are still glaring gaps in the evidence-base regarding the mode of transmission, health, behaviours, sexual practices and lived experiences of adolescents living with HIV (ALHIV) in South Africa. The HSRC and the UCT’s AIDS and Society Research Unit implemented a project to further understand the context and lived experiences of adolescents aged 10-19 years living with HIV in South Africa. The project was also aimed at informing the SAMRC's Social Impact Bond (SIB) initiative that focuses on HIV interventions to support adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in South Africa. This was a mixed methods study with different components. The groups analysed secondary data from two data sources – the South African National HIV Prevalence, Incidence, Behaviour and Communication Surveys 2005-2017 and the South African Mzantsi Wakho study which is a longitudinal study on HIV treatment and sexual health among ALHIV (in operation since 2013). Findings were contextualised with a review of the literature on ALHIV in sub-Saharan Africa with an emphasis on South Africa. 

CHAIRS: Prof. Khangelani Zuma (HSRC) and Ms Koketso Rathumbu (AGYW) 

PRESENTERS: Dr N Zungu (HSRC) Ms A Davids (HSRC) Dr I Naidoo (HSRC) Dr R Hodes (UCT) & the ALHIV project team 

For more information: http://www.hsrc.ac.za/en/events/seminars/being-alhiv

13 November 2020

 

Online seminar 

Overview: The presentation draws from a study undertaken with MerSETA called the Lived Livelihoods Study which aimed to understand the way(s) in which young people from two urban townships in Port Elizabeth are making their livelihoods in engineering related areas in the informal sector. The findings challenge our understandings of entrepreneurship, occupations, skills and what has become known as education to work pathways. It suggests that engaging with the implications of COVID – 19 for TVET colleges will demand tackling the implications of the fourth industrial revolution for these sectors. It would also mean engaging with how we understand the notion of skills, what we define as an occupation, what we understand when we talk about the tools of particular trades and how we understand pathways from school to TVET and from TVET  to work. Mainly, and importantly, it compels and propels us towards opening debate on what it might mean to talk about a responsive TVET college in the South Africa context. 

Speaker: 

Dr Lesley Powell, Research Chair: Youth Unemployment, Employability and Empowerment, Nelson Mandela University 

Moderators: 

Dr Francis Muronda, Researcher to the Research Chair: Youth Unemployment, Employability and Empowerment 

Ms Shawn Tini, Junior Researcher to the Research Chair: Youth Unemployment, Employability and Empowerment 

For more information: http://www.hsrc.ac.za/en/events/seminars/future-of-work-and-implications-sa-tvet-colleges

10 November 2020

 

Online seminar 

Overview: The rapid and emergency purchases to address the global pandemic, has exposed vulnerabilities in procurement systems that were already prone to fraud and corruption. Significant amounts of money have been flowing through global financial systems in the form of debt relief, loans from multilateral institutions and government stimulus packages with a reduction of oversight in emergency and fast-tracked public procurement procedures. This webinar is part of an SME acceleration research project which aims to examine the local and national governance mind sets regarding work ethics, accountability, corruption, entitlement, and Local Economic Development oversight. It also aims to assess the capacity of national governments and local economies to facilitate effective smart globally competitive African SME’s in the post COVID-19 era. South Korea is relevant to this critical study as it maintains a strong record of SME growth, and has remained a constructive development partner to the African continent. 

PROGRAM CHAIR: Professor Narnia Bohler-Muller, Human Sciences Research Council 

OPENING AND WELCOME Professor Aggrey Ambali, Director, Technical Cooperation and Program Funding, African Union Development Agency – New Partnership for African Development 

ACADEMIC ADDRESS Professor Sope Williams-Elegbe, University of Stellenbosch 

KEYNOTE ADDRESS H.E. Dr. Jong-dae Park, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to South Africa 

SCHOLARS PANEL: 

Chair: Francis Ikome, Chief of the Regional Integration Section, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa 

Professor Jaehoon Lee Hankuk University of Foreign Studies 

Advocate Gary Pienaar Human Sciences Research Council 

CLOSING REMARKS: Mrs Florence Nazare, Head of Technical Cooperation and Partnerships, African Union Development Agency – New Partnership for African Development 

For more information: http://www.hsrc.ac.za/en/events/seminars/impact-corruption-on-sme-growth-in-africa

HSRC & NMU Seminar: Remote Teaching and Learning at TVET colleges: A COVID-19 challenge Re-Imagining TVET: The Implications of COVID-19. Webinar series hosted by Nelson Mandela University. 2 October 2020

 Online seminar Overview: Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic which resulted in the declaration of the State of National Disaster by the President and an extended recess for TVET Colleges’ students, the use of online learning has since taken centre stage. The Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology have also mandated institutions to move their programmes online to help prevent the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19. Online learning involves the offering of educational programmes through internet platforms. Different approaches are followed when facilitating learning online which include distance learning and blended learning modes. This session focuses on the preparedness of public TVET Colleges in South Africa to facilitate teaching and learning online. Speaker: Ms Vongani Sharon Mboweni, Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) Moderators: Mr Thivhudziwi Walter Vele, Director: TVET Curriculum Development and Support, Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) For more information: http://www.hsrc.ac.za/en/events/seminars/remote-teaching-tvet

HSRC Seminar: Dealing with Uncertainty - Systems Dynamics Approach for Modelling South Africa Response to COVID-19 20 August 2020

 Online seminar Overview: This seminar discusses a systems dynamic model developed for the COVID-19 infection in South Africa. The key purpose of developing the model was to assess the extent to which a systems dynamics model can forecast the COVID-19 infections in South Africa and be a useful tool in evaluating government interventions to manage the epidemics through ‘what if’ simulations. PROGRAMME DIRECTOR
 Prof Charles Hongoro: Strategic Lead, PaSS - Developmental Ethical and Capable State (DCES) HSRC OPENING REMARKS 
Prof Narnia Bohler-Muller: Divisional Executive, Developmental Ethical and Capable State (DCES) HSRC SETTING THE SCENE 
Dr Martin Kaggwa: Executive Director, Sam Tambani Research Institute (SATRI) MODEL OF SOUTH AFRICA’S RESPONSE TO COVID-19
 Dr Shingirirai Savious Mutanga: Senior Research Specialist, PaSS - Developmental Ethical and Capable State (DCES) HSRC RESPONDENT 
Prof Charles Wambebe: President of International Biomedical Research for Africa DISCUSSION
 Dr Martin Kaggwa, Dr Shingi Mutanga, Dr Mercy Ngungu, Ms Fhulufhelo Tshililo Dr Mercy Ngungu: Data Manager, Developmental, Capable & Ethical State (DCES) HSRC 
Ms Fhulufhelo Tshililo: PhD Intern, PaSS - Developmental Ethical and Capable State (DCES) HSRC CLOSING REMARKS
 Dr Emmanuel Sekyere, Ag. Research Director, PaSS - Developmental Ethical and Capable State (DCES) HSRC For more information and presentations: http://www.hsrc.ac.za/en/events/seminars/uncertainty-modelling-covid

2 June 2020

 

Online seminar 

Overview: Traditional Oslo innovation surveys provide a useful empirical tool to assess the innovation performance of economic sectors, through the lens of firm-level activity. However, to the extent that innovation in the cultural and creative industry takes place outside of the formal sector - in highly contingent, informal settings - are traditional approaches sufficient to create an evidence base appropriate to the South African context? 

Presenter: Gerard Ralphs, Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation Indicators (CeSTII), HSRC 

For more information: http://www.hsrc.ac.za/en/events/seminars/measurement-of-innovation-methodological-challenge

HSRC Seminar: HSRC-USAf Dialogue Series: The Impact of COVID-19 on Different Student Groups 
22 June 2020 

Online seminar Overview: The first in the new HSRC-USAf Dialogue Series celebrates Youth Month by focusing on the impact of universities’ COVID-19 response on different groups of students. Following the welcome to the new series by the respective Heads of the HSRC and USAf, Prof. Crain Soudien facilitates five distinct inputs on the impact of universities’ COVID-19 responses on different groups of students. What have been the various responses? How have their impacts on different student groups been mitigated? What is the emerging post-lockdown plan? These short presentations are followed by a question and answer session and a discussion to explore the key higher education policy takeaways and best practices at institutional and system levels. . Chair:     Prof. Crain Soudien, CEO, Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) Speakers:     Prof. Tawana Kupe, Vice Chancellor, University of Pretoria Dr Sizwe Mabizela, Vice Chancellor, Rhodes University Dr Angelique Wildschut, Senior Manager: Research and Policy, National Student Financial Aid Scheme Prof. Thierry Luescher, Research Director, HSRC Siphesihle Msomi, ISRC President & Mthatha Campus Premier, Walter Sisulu University Discussant:     Prof. Ahmed Bawa, CEO, Universities South Africa (USAf) For more information: http://www.hsrc.ac.za/en/events/seminars/launching-hsrc-usaf-dialogue-series

HSRC and partners to embark on a joint HIV and TB pilot study The Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) and its partners will be conducting a joint TB and HIV pilot study in KwaZulu-Natal between the 26th of August and the 20th of September. The purpose of the pilot study is to determine the feasibility of conducting a larger joint Tuberculosis and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (TB/HIV) survey. The project will: • determine survey uptake of combined HIV and TB testing • assess data quality of collected interview and biomarker measures • estimate the costs of a (scaled-up) joint population-based TB/ HIV impact assessment (PHIA) survey • document operational lessons learned to inform scale up of future joint TB-HIV surveys. The survey will be taking place in 2 communities (called clusters for the purpose of the study) in Kwa-Zulu-Natal, namely Marburg and The Ridge (Umgayi). There will be 2 phases to the project: 1. Household phase, where all eligible individuals up to 500 adults (≥ 15 years as per the South African TB prevalence survey), plus their accompanying children (300 children < 15 years per cluster) will be asked to participate by answering a questionnaire. In each cluster, all households will be selected for inclusion into the pilot survey. The people who will be invited to participate will be people of all ages who have slept in that respective household for at least five nights of the previous two weeks. 2. Hub phase, where all participants who are potentially at risk of having TB will be asked to participate by having various health checks including a TB and HIV test. Where participants need to be referred to treatment and support, they will be linked to a local clinic. The survey will be anonymous, meaning that all personal identifiers will be delinked once the survey has been completed. The study aims to reach a total of 1,600 people in Kwazulu-Natal. Field workers will visit specific homes to invite members of households within the selected areas, to participate in the survey. They will also provide more information about the exact venue, date and times that the survey will be in your area. This pilot survey is very important to South Africa, as it will give an indication if HSRC and its partners can implement a larger survey in order to support efforts to find the best methods to fight TB and HIV. Community members are requested to welcome field workers, identified by their branded bibs and name tags, into their homes, and to support them in this process. For further information call: Team Leader: Ms Tsatsi Mkhombo: 081 848 9985 Project Director: Mr Shandir Ramlagan: 082 355 2379 Project PI: Dr Sizulu Moyo: smoyo@hsrc.ac.za For media enquiries or to set up interviews, please contact Adziliwi Nematandani (HRSC), 0827659191, email: anematandani@hsrc.ac.za. Join the conversation: South Africa MUST end TB and HIV #itsinourhands #endTB #endHIV # ourSouthAfrica Knowledge through research = Action