implementing-aprm-views-from-civil-society-8064b3b0626c7120.pdf

This June 2011 report by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) provides a civil society perspective on the implementation of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) in South Africa. It evaluates progress against the Country Review Report (CRR) and National Programme of Action (NPoA) across eight governance themes, including the justice system, party-state relations, and service delivery. The report generally finds that while some legislative progress has been made, implementation is often lacking, and there is a significant disconnect between official government reporting and the experiences of civil society.

• The APRM process in South Africa experienced a loss of institutional memory and momentum following the 2007 publication of the Country Review Report, though it saw a revival under Focal Point Minister Richard Baloyi.
• Public awareness of the APRM is very low, and it is perceived as peripheral to government planning and budgeting, with no specific budget allocated to it.
• While the rule of law is supported by constitutional systems, the prosecution service is viewed as more vulnerable to political influence than the judiciary, as evidenced by the dismissal of former director Vusi Pikoli.
• Property-related crime has increased since 2005/06, while violent interpersonal crime has decreased; however, there are concerns regarding the 'remilitarisation' of the South African Police Service (SAPS) and a return to brutal policing.
• Corruption remains a critical issue with a 'red' rating, as the government has failed to implement recommendations on protecting whistle-blowers and regulating private political party funding.
• The practice of 'cadre deployment'—placing ruling party activists in state positions to serve party goals—is seen as undermining institutions and violating the Constitution.
• Media freedom is threatened by the Protection of Information Bill, which could lead to journalists being jailed for up to 25 years for disclosing state secrets.
• The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) is criticized for perceived bias toward the ruling party and for failing to modernize its broadcasting policy.
• Parliament is viewed as insufficiently assertive toward the executive, with a closed-list proportional representation system that encourages loyalty to parties over voters.
• Public participation initiatives, particularly 'izimbizo' at the local government level, are often criticized as 'fanfare occasions' lacking genuine citizen voice and follow-up.
• South Africa faces high levels of HIV/Aids and TB, and while it has one of the world's largest treatment programmes, health indicators remain poor and data quality is suboptimal.
• Basic education quality is poor, as evidenced by low literacy and numeracy rates and a low percentage of matriculants qualifying for university (20% in 2009).
• South Africa has some of the highest levels of poverty globally, and the government lacks an official definition of poverty, which was a specific recommendation of the CRR.
• Unemployment is severe, particularly among youth (51% aged 15–24), and the government's target to halve unemployment by 2014 has seen little progress.
• Environmental challenges include high CO2 emissions (10.0 tonnes per person) and a long-term commitment to coal-fired power generation for the next 20 years.
• Rural land reform has been less successful than urban reform, with some estimates suggesting a failure rate as high as 90% for redistribution and restitution projects.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (n.d.). implementing-aprm-views-from-civil-society-8064b3b0626c7120.pdf. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Implementing-APRM-Views-from-Civil-Society.pdf

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. implementing-aprm-views-from-civil-society-8064b3b0626c7120.pdf. n.d. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Implementing-APRM-Views-from-Civil-Society.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=implementing-aprm-views-from-civil-society-8064b3b0626c7120.pdf |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Implementing-APRM-Views-from-Civil-Society.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairsndimplementingaprmviewsfromcivilsociety8064b3b0626c7120pdf, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{implementing-aprm-views-from-civil-society-8064b3b0626c7120.pdf}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Implementing-APRM-Views-from-Civil-Society.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }