This week is Global Media and Information Literacy Week (24-31 October), under the theme: Media and Information Literacy in Digital Spaces: A Collective Global Agenda.

In the United Nations Common Agenda report of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, 12 commitments were made by world leaders. “Among these commitments, UN Secretary-General António Guterres highlighted the values of trust and solidarity as being the glue for social cohesion and social breakthroughs for the common good.

“However, the harsh reality is that the trust factor is being eroded. Considering Our Common Agenda, we are calling on the global community to not only reaffirm and increase commitment to Media and Information Literacy (MIL) for all, but to also develop new initiatives on MIL to nurture trust.

The Global MIL Week 2023 focuses on digital spaces and gives the opportunity to explore paths for strengthening multilateral cooperation with digital platforms and other stakeholders,” the UN brief reads.

On Monday 23 and Tuesday 24 October from 8 am, the SA Research Chair Initiative in Social Policy, the Centre for Social Change, and the Africa Centre for Evidence are hosting a colloquium: “From Scarcity to Security to Sovereignty: Re-examining South Africa’s Water Crises”.

In February 2023, three cholera cases in Gauteng were genetically linked to a Malawi outbreak, while three more cases with no travel history were associated with a newly imported Vibrio cholerae strain from South Asia. By May 2023, Hammanskraal emerged as the epicentre of the South African cholera outbreak, reaching over a thousand suspected cases across five provinces, with 50 deaths. The Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies (Sage) identified factors contributing to the outbreak, including dysfunctional wastewater treatment facilities. 

Venue: Holiday Inn – Johannesburg Sunnyside Park, Parktown.

Check the programme for more details here. 

On Monday, 23 October,  #JusticeforSwazis will be top of the agenda at the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) wishes to inform State Parties to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Organs of the African Union, National Human Rights Institutions, International Organizations, Non-Governmental Organizations and the general public that the 77th Ordinary Session of the ACHPR is taking place from Friday 20 October to Thursday 9 November, 2023.

Register to participate here.

On Tuesday, 24 Oct from 6pm to 7pm, Daily Maverick will host a webinar titled ‘Reimagining Joburg: Weighing up the water crisis’.  

Host: Maverick Citizen editor, Mark Heywood

Guests: Director-General of the National Department of Water and Sanitation, Sean Phillips and Executive Manager of WaterCAN and Outa, Ferrial Adam. 

“In recent months many communities in Johannesburg have been affected by bouts of water shortages — sometimes for hours, sometimes for days. The threat to health, sanitation, and dignity can be immense, as we have seen in some of our public hospitals and schools.

The question on many lips is: “Is water shifting soon going to compete with load shedding?” Is there a crisis in water supply and safety? Why? What is being done to address it? How can we mitigate it?

To answer these and other questions join Maverick Citizen editor, Mark Heywood, as he facilitates a conversation with Sean Phillips, the Director-General of the National Department of Water and Sanitation, and Ferrial Adam, the Executive manager at WaterCAN and Outa,” the event description reads.

See poster for details. To register, click here.

On Wednesday, 25 October at 6 pm, Exclusive Books in Sandton City will host the book launch of Transformation since the Dawn of South Africa by Prof Malegapuru Makgoba. See poster for details.

From Wednesday 25 to Thursday 26 October at 9am, the Health Portfolio Committee Chair addresses TB will advocate on the state of TB in South Africa.

Please be advised that Dr Kenneth Jacobs, South Africa’s chairperson for the Portfolio Committee on Health will be providing TB advocates and members of the media with an update on Parliament’s approach to dealing with the country’s burgeoning TB epidemic.

Venue: Southern Sun Hotel Rosebank.

For media enquiries and RSVP contact: Phemelo Khaas at [email protected] and 0837633472.

From Wednesday 25  to Thursday 26 October, the Public Affairs Research Institute (Pari) and the Council for the Advancement of the South Africa Constitution (Casac) are pleased to invite you to their joint conference on the implementation of the recommendations of the State Capture Commission, which will be held at the University of Johannesburg and online.

The aim of the conference is to keep the Commission’s work alive in the public imagination, to review how reforms or interventions might be progressing, to discuss how civil society might support these initiatives, and to discuss strategies for holding the executive, parliament, and the private sector accountable to the commitments they have made to tackle corruption and state capture.

The conference will begin with a recorded keynote address from Chief Justice Raymond Zondo. The full programme can be viewed here. 

Conference sessions will include:

• Address by the Director-General in the Presidency, Phindile Baleni; and
• Address by the Chair of the National Anti-Corruption Advisory Council, Firoz Cachalia.

Panel discussions:

• Parliament and the State Capture Commission recommendations.
• Criminal justice and policing: responding to state capture and organised crime.
• Protected and encouraged whistleblowing: what needs to be done?
• Corporate capture and private sector accountability.
• Making SOEs work for the public interest: governance reform.
• Integrity in public procurement: does the new bill address Zondo’s concerns?
• Politics, mobilisation, and change: does civil society need to change its strategies to make a meaningful impact on State Capture?

This is a follow-up to our conference on the findings of the Zondo Commission held in September 2022. Entitled, “Understanding the findings and recommendations of the Zondo Commission”, the conference was attended primarily by civil society representatives and also included participants from academia, government, and media. The conference generated lively debate and some strong recommendations to support the fight against state capture. A summary report based on the discussions can be found on Pari’s website.

For more information and to register for the event, click here.

On Thursday, 26 October from 4 pm to 6pm, the UKZN Centre for Civil Society is inviting you to a Zoom Session of the CCS Webinar Series Please note changing times to accommodate speakers from international time zones.

Webinar: Right2Know movement at the forefront

Speaker: Ben Madokwe

In this webinar, Ben discusses the important work the Right2Know Campaign has undertaken over the years. He will unpack the current focus areas of his involvement at R2K including community workshops on rights to protest, and the role of women in society as leaders in social movements. He also looks at how R2K encourages societies and individuals to participate in municipal processes especially when it comes to the formulation of Integrated Development Plans (IDPs).

Speaker Bio

Ben Madokwe is an activist and works at Right2Know (R2K). He is also a community scholar based at the Centre for Civil Society, University of KwaZulu-Natal. 

To join the Zoom meeting, click here.

On Sunday, 29 October at 4pm, the first movie in the Hotspot Climate Film Series will be released. We have organised a special Johannesburg screening of Temperature Rising for all those involved in making and partnering the film. 

We would like to celebrate the work before we begin the distribution and campaign phase. Please join us if you can. 

Venue: Bioscope Independent Cinema, 44 Stanley Ave, Milpark, Johannesburg, 2092.

We soon plan to embark on a countrywide impact campaign, using the film to support climate justice activism and bolster movements to push for urgent action. We hope that after the screening you will be inspired to help us to promote the film by:

1. Talking to colleagues and friends about the film/climate justice;
2. Sharing news of the film and the campaign on social media;
3. Signing up to our campaign contact list on the website www.hotspotseries.co.za; and
4. Identifying who else needs to see the film and approaching us to organise it ([email protected])

Sunday 29 October, 4pm.

To RSVP, click here. 

DM