October is Mental Health Awareness Month under the theme ‘Mental Health is a Universal Human Right’. The South African Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag) has a host of events lined up to create public awareness to make issues related to mental health a global priority. According to Sadag, 1 in 10 people with a mental illness have access to treatment, they aim to bring awareness to people’s mental health rights.

See poster for event details. 

October is celebrated as Pride Month in South Africa 

The first lesbian and gay Pride march was held on 13 October 1990 in Johannesburg and was initiated by the Gay and Lesbian Organisation of the Witwatersrand (Glow). This was the first Pride march on the African continent and acted as both a gay Pride event and an anti-apartheid march. There were 800 people in attendance, with gay rights pioneers such as Beverley Ditsie, Justice Edwin Cameron, Donné Rundle, Hendrik Pretorius and Simon Nkoli addressing the large crowds.

Today, celebrations include pride parades, picnics, parties, workshops, symposia and concerts.

Pretoria Pride will be on 7 October at the Centurion Rugby Club and  Johannesburg Pride will be on 28 October at Wanderers Stadium.

On Monday, 2 October at 4 pm, Wits Institute for Social and Economic Research invites you to join us for the WISH seminar titled “A Catalytic Role Untold: Coca-Cola and the Undoing of Apartheid”. Presented by Sara Byala, a South African-born author and Senior Lecturer in Critical Writing and History at the University of Pennsylvania. Read the paper here.

This is an online seminar. Register for the session in advance here.

From Tuesday 3 October to 4 October, Equal Education will be spending two days deep diving into what they call democracy education as part of civic education.  They will be covering themes around tools for democratic participation, economic empowerment and Social Justice Sector case studies that strengthen democracy, strategy and tactics for building youth power beyond the ballot and increasing our expectations of leaders in our society and government.

On Wednesday, 3 October at 2 pm, join Oxpeckers Investigative Environmental Journalism an NPO using investigative, data and geo-mapping tools to advance environmental journalism for the launch of its latest digital mapping tool PowerTracker. The webinar will take a deep dive into South Africa’s Just Energy Transition with Award-winning environmental reporters and data journalists Andiswa Matikinca, and Thabo Molelekwa. Register here.

On Wednesday, 4 October at 4 pm, the University of Pretoria’s (UP) Centre for the Advancement of Scholarship (CAS) invites you to the launch of “The Revolution Will Not Be Litigated: People Power and Legal Power in the 21st Century”. 

The event will host a panel of chapter authors that include volume co-editor Mark Gevisser, Maverick Citizen editor-in-chief Mark Heywood, and Kumi Naidoo, with the discussion to be moderated by Professor Nkatha Murungi. Register here. 

On Wednesday, 4 October from 8:30 am to 2 pm The Democracy Development Programme in collaboration with @MandelaCanrad invites you to a forum on the “Impact of the #ElectoralAct. This will take place at the Elangeni Hotel in Durban. To attend in person register here. YouTube Live: Will be shared in due course. See Poster for more.

On Wednesday, 4 October at 5 pm, the Inaugural Lecture of Professor Francois Venter, themed “HIV and Obesity: South Africa’s unexpectedly similar epidemics” will take place at the Senate Room, 2nd Floor, Solomon Mahlangu House, Braamfontein Campus East, Wits University.

Register here to attend in person. This lecture will also be streamed live on the Wits YouTube channel:

Please refer to the poster below for more details.

On Thursday, 5 October at 9 am There will be a one-day symposium to commemorate the work and lives of Harold and AnnMarie Wolpe,  anti-apartheid activists and academics.

Read more in Daily Maverick: The wife who did not wait — AnnMarie Wolpe: mother, academic, feminist and anti-apartheid co-conspirator

Under the theme, “Ethical scholarship and inspirations for today’s challenges”, this symposium is curated and hosted by Wits School of Governance.

The event will be followed by snacks and drinks, with live music by Bonzo and friends. This is a hybrid event. You can attend in person at the Smart Classroom, Albert Wessels Building, 2 St David’s Place, Parktown Management Campus, University of the Witwatersrand or online.

On Thursday 5 October at 6pm, Award-winning author, screenwriter and playwright Tsitsi Dangarembga will be giving a talk at the Market Theatre.

RSVP to [email protected]

Friday to Sunday, 6-8 October, political party RISE Mzansi will host the People’s Convention in Constitution Hill in Braamfontein, Johannesburg.

The three-day event will be a series of dialogues where the fledgeling party will create its manifesto. “A month after the convention, we will publish the People’s Manifesto, which will form the basis of the People’s Plan for Change that will be published in February 2024. The People’s Manifesto and the People’s Plan for Change will be the content platforms for our election campaign,” Party leader Songezo Zibi said in a press briefing.

Poster 5 

On Saturday, 7 October The Ahmed Kathrada Foundation will have its  2023 Annual Lecture with keynote speaker Rekgotsofetse Chikane — an activist, academic, author, and Deputy Chairperson of the Defend our Democracy movement. 

Registration is essential. Kindly RSVP here.

On Saturday, 7 October from 9 am to 4 pm, the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation will host the ‘Johannesburg — a City in Crisis’ summit. The foundation calls all organisations and individuals who live in the city to meet at the Brixton Recreational Centre. Please check the Poster for contact details.

WISER invites applications for two-year post-doctoral fellowships to be awarded to outstanding candidates from any appropriate discipline.

The fellows will be expected to support the scholarly work and public events of the Institute, but they will be free to pursue their own research. This is a full-time programme and is not compatible with other employment. Fellows will be expected to work closely with WISER researchers, and to participate fully in the intellectual life of the institute.

Fellows will receive funding for two years on the university’s standard post-doctoral package.  Additional funding for research expenses and conference travel may be available. Fellows will be required to undertake up to 8 hours of work a week for Wiser that will be remunerated separately. Find out more here.

The People’s Pantry a non-profit organisation that helps feed the community around Victoria Yards in Johannesburg and advocates for food sovereignty is looking for a Social Media Volunteer to help the organisation “tell the stories of building food and environmental justice in Makers Valley”. To apply, contact [email protected] and visit www.thepeoplespantry.org.za for more information on the organisation. DM