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This policy brief by the Omega Research Foundation, published by the Institute for Security Studies in June 2016, examines the manufacture and trade of electric shock devices in South Africa. It argues that a lack of trade controls on these devices—including stun belts, shields, and batons—facilitates torture and ill-treatment, contradicting South Africa's constitutional and international human rights obligations. The document details the activities of South African companies exporting these devices globally and recommends a comprehensive ban on body-worn and hand-held direct contact electric shock equipment.

The SA Army Seminar 21, held in November 2006, served as a 'reality check' for the SA Army Vision 2020. Featuring international speakers from the USA, UK, Australia, and Africa, the seminar addressed global and internal security challenges and land operations. The event confirmed requirements for personnel, technology, and doctrine, and the SA Army plans to make the seminar a biennial event to foster collective security in Africa.

This report analyzes South Africa's election as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council (UNSC) for the 2019–2020 term. It examines the current geopolitical dynamics of the Council, the expectations placed on South Africa as a regional power, and provides strategic recommendations for the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) to maximize the country's international visibility and influence.

This report summarizes a seminar held on October 17, 2008, at the United Nations Conference Center regarding the implications of the 2008 US Presidential Election for Africa. The event featured presentations by Dr. Steven Erkovich and Dr. Joseph Vincent Ebode, who analyzed US foreign policy motivations, the specific propositions of candidates Barack Obama and John McCain, and the strategic rationale behind Obama's candidacy.

This research paper examines the role of the South African Gunowners Association (SAGA) in opposing prohibitionist firearm legislation in South Africa. The author argues that legal firearm ownership is a necessary deterrent against crime and mass violence, citing the 1994 Rwandan genocide as a warning against disarming civil populations. The document details the socio-economic impact of potential firearm bans on the hunting and ecotourism industries, the failure of the South African Police Services (SAPS) to provide adequate security, and the proliferation of illegal 'liberation weapons' following the transition to democracy.

This report summarizes a conference titled 'Unpacking the Somali Conflict' held on 21 January 2009 in Pretoria, South Africa. The event brought together experts to discuss the complexities of the crisis in Somalia, the role of international and regional actors, and the challenges facing the Transitional Federal Government and peacekeeping missions like AMISOM.

This research paper examines the rise of transnational organised crime (TCOs) as a global security threat, analyzing how globalisation and the erosion of state authority have facilitated the growth of criminal networks. It explores the relationship between TCOs and various state types—particularly weak and transitional states—and provides a typology of state roles in facilitating or combating illicit activities. The document details the operational characteristics of TCOs, including their use of ethnic networks and risk management strategies, and assesses the specific threats they pose to national security, financial systems, and human rights.

A comprehensive record of the criminal trial of Dr. Wouter Basson, former head of the apartheid-era chemical and biological warfare programme known as Project Coast. The trial, which took place between October 1999 and April 2002, involved 67 charges including fraud, murder, conspiracy to murder, and drug trafficking. The proceedings detailed the use of front companies, the manufacture of incapacitants and toxins, and alleged human rights violations. Dr. Basson was ultimately found not guilty on all remaining charges on April 11, 2002.

This joint NGO briefing urges UNFCCC COP27 to integrate the protection of land and environmental defenders into climate justice efforts. It highlights the prevalence of violence and legal harassment (SLAPPs) against defenders and recommends that the ACE Action Plan and the Global Stocktake explicitly address human rights obligations. Additionally, it proposes a protocol to ensure host countries of COP meetings guarantee freedom of assembly and association for participants.

This guide, published by Natural Justice, provides an introduction to the United Nations human rights system, specifically tailored for indigenous peoples and local communities. It explains the structure of the UN, the evolution of international human rights law, and the specific mechanisms available for the protection of indigenous rights.

A letter dated February 24, 2014, addressed to World Bank President Jim Yong Kim from a coalition of 168 organizations and individuals, urging the revival of B-SPAN, the Bank's Internet-based webcasting system.

This document is a submission to the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment, provided by a coalition including Natural Justice and Forest Peoples Programme. It outlines the critical role of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) in biodiversity conservation, highlighting successful local practices, systemic barriers such as 'fortress conservation' and non-recognition of land rights, and the increasing risks faced by environmental defenders.

The Transnet Inquiry Reference Book, authored by the Public Affairs Research Institute, provides a fact-based account of governance failures and systemic corruption at Transnet, South Africa's state-owned freight transport and logistics company. The report details how the company's governance was repurposed to facilitate large-scale corruption and rent-seeking, primarily benefiting the Gupta family and their associates through manipulated procurement processes for locomotives, cranes, and IT services.

This report details a project led by WattTime.org and RMI to catalyze the market for Automated Emissions Reduction (AER), a software-based technology that modulates the electricity consumption of internet-connected devices based on real-time grid emissions data. The project included a pilot deployment in Chicago and a stakeholder workshop (charrette) to identify value propositions and scaling strategies for residential and institutional customers, utilities, and policymakers.

This document is an appendix to a toolkit by RMI that provides a comprehensive set of questions for regulators to use when evaluating how utilities incorporate Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) incentives into their Integrated Resource Plans (IRPs). It aims to help regulators identify cost-saving opportunities and assess the rationale behind utility assumptions regarding clean energy tax credits, hydrogen, carbon capture, and electrification.

This guide provides the data sources, assumptions, and methodology used by RMI to create 'State Clean Energy Eco' graphics. These graphics illustrate the economic, social, and health opportunities associated with a transition to a net zero carbon US economy by 2050, focusing on state-level metrics across electricity, industry, transportation, buildings, and human impact.

This RMI fact sheet argues that renewables and battery storage are now more effective than natural gas for supporting economic development and energy access in the Global South, offering superior reliability, deployment speed, and cost-effectiveness while avoiding the long-term financial and security risks associated with gas infrastructure.

This fact sheet details the technical assumptions used to analyze the benefits of heat pumps over electric resistance heating. It specifies efficiency ratings for ASHPs and HPWHs, explains the use of EIA and NREL data to create home archetypes across US climate zones, and describes the methodology for calculating hourly efficiency and electric volumetric prices.

This document details the technical assumptions used to analyze the benefits of heat pumps over delivered fuels in the United States. It specifies the use of 2020 EIA RECS microdata for building archetypes, 2024 state-average energy prices, and specific efficiency ratings (HSPF2, SEER2, and UEF) for air source heat pumps and heat pump water heaters based on current market models and climate zones.

This technical supplement describes the methodology used by RMI to analyze how state-level land use reform in the United States could reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2033. The analysis compares a 'business as usual' scenario against a 'low VMT' scenario where new housing is concentrated in dense, walkable, and transit-oriented areas.