Implementing the APRM Views from Civil Society

The report evaluates South Africa's progress on governance themes identified by the APRM, noting that while institutional frameworks exist, implementation is often lacking. Key areas of concern include corruption, party-state blurring through 'cadre deployment', and high levels of poverty and unemployment. While elections are rated highly, the report highlights significant challenges in the justice system, service delivery, and the protection of media freedom.

• The APRM process in South Africa experienced a loss of institutional memory and momentum after the 2007 Country Review Report, though it has seen a recent revival under Minister Richard Baloyi.
• There is a perceived lack of clear linkage between the APRM and South Africa's actual government planning, budgeting, and policy processes.
• The rule of law is considered reasonably strong but unevenly distributed, with concerns that the prosecution service is more vulnerable to political influence than the judiciary.
• Law enforcement is marked by a trend toward remilitarisation, with the South African Police Service (SAPS) reverting to military rank titles and adopting a 'war' rhetoric that threatens human rights.
• Corruption remains a critical issue, with a 'red' rating assigned due to the gap between government's 'zero-tolerance' rhetoric and the actual enforcement of sanctions, particularly regarding whistle-blower protection.
• The practice of 'cadre deployment'—placing ruling party activists in state positions to serve party goals—is viewed as undermining institutions and violating the Constitution.
• Private funding of political parties is almost entirely unregulated in South Africa, creating risks of undisclosed interests influencing public decision-making.
• Media freedom is threatened by proposed legislation, specifically the Protection of Information Bill, which could lead to harsh penalties for disclosing state secrets.
• The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) is criticised for perceived bias toward the ruling party and for failing to modernise its broadcasting policy.
• While the electoral system is rated 'green' for being free and fair, the closed-list proportional representation system is criticised for making MPs more loyal to parties than to voters.
• Public participation, particularly at the local government level, is often superficial, with 'izimbizo' described as fanfare occasions rather than genuine participatory platforms.
• Xenophobia is a significant issue that was largely ignored in the National Programme of Action (NPoA), leading to a 'red' rating for government response.
• Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) is criticised for benefiting a small, politically connected elite rather than being truly broad-based.
• Health indicators remain poor despite high GDP spending, with South Africa facing the world's highest burden of HIV infection and significant TB co-infection.
• Basic education suffers from low literacy and numeracy levels, with a significant gap between secondary school completion and university admission eligibility.
• South Africa has some of the highest levels of poverty and inequality globally, and the government lacks an official definition of poverty.
• Youth unemployment is severe, with approximately 51% of the population aged 15–24 being unemployed.
• Environmental concerns include high carbon emissions and the potential for severe water pollution due to a long-term commitment to coal-fired power generation.
• Rural land reform has been less successful than urban reform, with high failure rates for redistribution projects and a slow pace of restitution.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2011). Implementing the APRM Views from Civil Society. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Implementing-APRM-Views-from-Civil-Society.pdf

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. Implementing the APRM Views from Civil Society. 2011. 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 the APRM Views from Civil Society |date=June 2011 |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{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2011implementing, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{Implementing the APRM Views from Civil Society}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2011}, month = jun, 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} }