Public Affairs Research Institute (PARI)
@parinstitute.bsky.social
PARI is an African research institute affiliated to the University of Johannesburg and Wits University, providing new and original social science research, advocacy and implementation support for South Africa, the global South and beyond.
The 2nd episode of Just Access: The Real Democracy, comes out on the 6th of October. Host: Tasneem Essop (SWOP) Guests: Dr Federica Duca, Academic Engagement Programme Lead Dr Gaynor Paradza, Land Governance Programme Lead Daniel Sher, Researcher Produced By: Richard Rumney
Join us for the keynote address about Local Government in South Africa and Beyond. 🔗 RSVP here by 6 October: shorturl.at/TdMCi
The 2nd episode of Just Access: The Real Democracy, comes out on the 6th of October. Host: Tasneem Essop (SWOP) Guests: Dr Federica Duca, Academic Engagement Programme Lead Dr Gaynor Paradza, Land Governance Programme Lead Daniel Sher, Researcher Produced By: Richard Rumney
Colloquium | Local Government in South Africa and Beyond JOIN US for the Local Government in South Africa and Beyond Colloquium on 14-15 October, with keynote address by Ellen Lust (University of Gothenburg) 🔗 RSVP is essential: pari.org.za/colloquium-l...
Local Government Colloquium 14th & 15th October 2026
For more information contact: Dr Federica Duca federicad@pari.org.za
shorturl.at
The first episode of Just Access: The Real Democracy, is now available on all major platforms. 🔗 Tap the link to listen: pari.org.za/podcast-just... #JustAccessPodcast #LocalGovernment #Elections2026 #LGE2026
Podcast | Just Access: The Real Transition » PARI | Public Affairs Research Institute
Just Access: The Real Transition is a 10-part documentary-style audio podcast that examines the deep social, economic and political implications of South Africa’s Just Transition. As South Africa…
pari.org.za
Press Statement | The Public Service Commission Act 🔗 Read the full statement here: pari.org.za/press-statem...
Press Statement | The Public Service Commission Act » PARI | Public Affairs Research Institute
Press Statement: The Public Service Commission Act 23 Sept 2026 The recent testimony of Professor Fikeni, PSC Chair, at the Madlanga Commission, underscores the centrality of the integrity, systems…
pari.org.za
“Electricity costs have increased way faster than inflation,” Jugal Mahabir, programme lead for local government at the Public Affairs Research Institute (PARI) in Johannesburg, told Africa Check. africacheck.org/fact-checks/...
#LGE2026: Seven claims from the DA’s election manifesto fact-checked
South Africa’s second-largest political party is campaigning on a promise to get the country’s towns and cities “working for all”.
africacheck.org
Dr Sithembile Mbete, PARI's Executive Director joined SABC news to discuss how to understand municipal finances ahead of the November polls and the elected representatives who have to make decisions that affect some of the most immediate parts of our daily lives: water, electricity, refuse removal..
The Cool Politics Café by Democracy Works Foundation (DWF) returns on Thursday, 1 October 2026. PARI's Executive Director Sithembile Mbete is part of the panel discussing how coalition governments can work better in strengthening democratic accountability... whatsoninjoburg.com/discuss-coun...
Join The Conversation On Current Affairs At The Cool Politics Café This October | What's On In Joburg
1 Oct 2026 | As South Africa continues to navigate an uncertain political landscape, the Cool Politics Café provides an open and interactive platform for curious and political minds to examine the…
whatsoninjoburg.com
🎙️ The first episode of Just Access: The Real Democracy is out tomorrow on all major platforms. Host: Tasneem Essop (SWOP) Guests: Dr Sithembile Mbete, Executive Director (PARI) Jugal Mahabir, Local Government Programme Lead (PARI) Kate Tissington, Researcher (PARI) Produced by: Richard Rumney
🎙️ The Just Access podcast is back, and this season, we’re talking democracy. Host: Tasneem Essop (SWOP) Guests: Dr Sithembile Mbete, Executive Director (PARI) Jugal Mahabir, Local Government Programme Lead (PARI) Kate Tissington, Researcher (PARI) Produced by: Richard Rumney
🎙️ The Just Access podcast is back, and this season, we’re talking democracy. Host: Tasneem Essop (SWOP) Guests: Dr Sithembile Mbete, Executive Director (PARI) Jugal Mahabir, Local Government Programme Lead (PARI) Kate Tissington, Researcher (PARI) Produced by: Richard Rumney
🎙️ The Just Access podcast is back, and this season, we’re talking democracy. Host: Tasneem Essop (SWOP) Guests: Dr Sithembile Mbete, Executive Director (PARI) Jugal Mahabir, Local Government Programme Lead (PARI) Kate Tissington, Researcher (PARI) Produced by: Richard Rumney
Where Does Your Municipality Get Its Money? Bridget Masinga (SAfmRadio) spoke to PARI's Local Government Programme Lead, Jugal Mahabir to discuss the importance of municipal funding and understanding its different sources. 🗣️ Listen to the full interview here: omny.fm/shows/the-fu...
Where Does Your Municipality Get Its Money: Understanding The Different Sources of Municipal Funding - THE FULL CIRCLE
GUEST: JUGAL MAHABIR - Programme Lead: Local Government at the Public Affairs Relations Institute
omny.fm
PARI's Executive Director Dr Sithembile Mbete, is a moderator at this Institute for Security Studies seminar about South Africa's constitution, where speakers will take stock of the past 30 years and discuss how to strengthen democracy and promote accountability in the run-up to the LGE in November.
South Africa’s constitution at 30: from promise to practice | ISS Africa
Local government elections will reflect voters’ sentiment on how the country has progressed from constitutional promises to delivery.
issafrica.org
At a recent roundtable hosted by CSIR and Anglo American, PARI researchers presented its Independent Evaluation of the Municipal Capability & Partnership Programme. 🔗 Read the Independent Evaluation here: pari.org.za/report-indep...
LGE 2026 | Understanding the three-ballot system PARI researcher Kate Tissington, joined Liezel Wilson on SABC news to help unpack some of the complexities around engaging with the Local Government Elections and explains how citizens can participate in it and hold Local Government accountable.
LGE 2026 | Understanding the three-ballot system
Local government is the part of government we encounter everyday- in our water, electricity, refuse collection, roads and the rates we pay. But how much do we actually understand about the system…
youtube.com
The Just Access series is back with a spotlight on the 2026 local elections. Just Access: The Real Democracy explores what's at stake for South African communities and their municipalities. Look out for a new episode every week. #JustAccessPodcast #LocalGovernment #Elections2026 #LGE2026
The latest issue of Amandla! features work PARI researcher Tracy Ledger on the cost recovery trap facing local government, "municipalities must fund services from tariffs millions of households cannot afford, while inadequate maintenance produces infrastructure losses and financial collapse."
Setting the poor against the poor - Amandla
With local government elections approaching and anti-migrant mobilisation growing, the central concern of this issue is how anger at poverty, unemployment and collapsing public services is being…
amandla.org.za
In the upcoming 2026 LGE there has been a massive 43% increase in candidates who have been put forward for council seats. However, these numbers don't necessarily reflect the inclusion of women in South Africa's democracy. Read the full article here 🔗 explain.co.za/2026/09/14/f...
142,000 candidates vie for SA local council seats-Explain
More than 142,000 candidates are contesting South Africa’s 2026 local elections. Meet some first-timers and explore who gets represented.
explain.co.za
In a research article by Wits University, PARI’s Tracy Ledger is interviewed on her work on free basic services: ‘Dr Tracy Ledger traces administrative failure [of municipalities] back to a betrayal of the post-apartheid social contract.' 🔗: www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026...
Can trust in SA’s municipalities ever be restored?
Can trust in South Africa's municipalities be restored? A hard look at failing service delivery, corruption and reforms that could rebuild municipal trust.
dailymaverick.co.za
Seminar | Faces of the City 🗓️ Tuesday, 15 September 🕔 16.00 pm - 17.30 pm (CAT). 🔗 Microsoft Teams Link: payg.rocketseed.net/servlet/link... Meeting ID: 366 800 230 869 999 Passcode: YG954vo6
Faces of the City Seminar
payg.rocketseed.net
Joburg Urban Crisis Seminar | Civil Society Engagement with Local Government: Transformative Water Justice: Some Pointers 🗓️ Date: September 17, 1-3pm. 🔗 Register to attend online: pari.zoom.us/meeting/regi... 👤 Register to join in-person: forms.gle/Fz8sGATkprbY...
Report | Independent Evaluation of the Municipal Capability & Partnership Programme 🔗 Read the full evaluation here: pari.org.za/report-indep...
Report | Independent Evaluation of the Municipal Capability & Partnership Programme » PARI | Public Affairs Research Institute
The Municipal Capability & Partnership Programme (MCPP) is a structured, long-term partnership between Anglo American, Kumba Iron Ore, De Beers, the Department of Cooperative Governance (DCoG) and…
pari.org.za
Waseem Holland, a researcher at the Public Affairs Research Institute, spoke to Radio Islam about anti-immigration electioneering tactics and what they reveal about the state. www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPTK...
Anti-Immigration Electioneering Reflects the Failure of a Nation-Building Project
Waseem Holland, a researcher at the Public Affairs Research Institute, spoke to Radio Islam about anti-immigration electioneering tactics and what they reveal about the state. Holland's blog on the…
youtube.com
In a Daily Maverick Op Ed, PARI researcher Waseem Holland unpacks how the Madlanga Commission has shifted the discourse on South African grand corruption by framing it as organised crime rather than political State Capture. 🔗 Read the full op-ed here: www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026...
Beyond State Capture — how the Madlanga Commission exposes SA’s criminal state
The Madlanga Commission has shifted the discourse on South African grand corruption by framing it as organised crime rather than political State Capture. However, recognising corruption as inherent…
dailymaverick.co.za
Report | Security of Land Tenure in Southern Africa: Unregistered land rights in Namibia 🔗 Read the full report: pari.org.za/report-secur...
Report | Security of Land Tenure in Southern Africa: Unregistered land rights in Namibia » PARI | Public Affairs Research Institute
Land rights are the legally or socially recognised entitlements which individuals or groups access, possess, use, transfer and exercise in various ways on land and land-based natural resources.…
pari.org.za
A look back at PARI’s Just Transition podcast from earlier this year. If you missed it, take a moment to listen and catch up on the conversation here: 🔗 pari.org.za/podcast-just... #justenergytransition #renewableenergy #justtransitionpodcast #aPARIpodcast
Bridget Masinga (SAfm) spoke to PARI researcher Kate Tissington about wards and the role of councillors in the upcoming election and the importance of local government as the space where citizens directly intersect with local government. 🗣️ Listen to the full interview here: omny.fm/shows/the-fu...
#HowSouthAfricaWorks: Wards: Understanding Wards, the Ward Council and the role of Councillors in the South African Local Government - THE FULL CIRCLE
GUEST: Kate Tissington - Senior Researcher at the Public Affairs Research Institute (PARI)
omny.fm
PARI researcher, Waseem Holland, interrogates anti-immigration electioneering and how it reflects the failure of a nation-building project, in this months blog. 🔗 Read the full blog: pari.org.za/blog-anti-im...
Blog | Anti-immigrant electioneering reflects the failure of a nation-building project » PARI | Public Affairs Research Institute
Image: Wikimedia Commons By Waseem Holland The pervasiveness of anti-immigration sentiment and rhetoric in South Africa reflects the failure of a nation-building project. In difficult material…
pari.org.za