In Transformation Initiative

The full-length version.

In July of 2021, South Africa saw uprisings and unrest in large parts of the country following the arrest of former President Jacob Zuma. In this episode Liesl Louw-Vaudran speaks to well-known political commentator and ITI board member, Judith February, who describes these events as "unpresented" and something that caught her by surprise. In this interview February also discusses the reaction by President Cyril Ramaphosa and his subsequent cabinet reshuffle.

The In Transformation Initiative has been involved in dialogue and reconciliation efforts in Myanmar for the last four years. Liesl Louw-Vaudran spoke to Fanie du Toit, who leads ITI’s work in Myanmar, about these efforts and the implications of the recent coup d’état in the country.

This is ITI's first podcast on the National Dialogue discussion. Prof Nick Binedell, the founding director of the Gordon Institute of Business Science facilitated this discussion. The proposal for a new ‘national dialogue’ was put on the table by the In Transformation Initiative, Democracy Works Foundation, Hanns Seidel Foundation, Kgalema Motlanthe Foundation and Gordon Institute of Business Science. Due to Covid-19, as well as the mismanagement and stagnation that were present well before the pandemic, South Africa has shed millions of jobs. Poverty has increased dramatically and there is a clear failure of leadership at various levels – in politics, business and civil society. The debate addressed many issues, such as the question as to whether or not the people in the middle ground, who have the wellbeing of South Africa at heart, will be able to forge a new consensus around how to fix the country. These were closed discussions, held virtually where over 70 of the country’s most prominent and influential thinkers and policymakers gave their inputs about the matters at hand. In this podcast, the views of Mavuso Msimang, Gill Marcus and Mmusi Maimane are shared.

On 31 August 2020 the Kgalema Motlanthe Foundation, In Transformation Initiative (ITI), Democracy Works Foundation, Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) and the Hanns Seidel Foundation held the third of a series of five dialogues via Zoom. This podcast focuses on the inputs made by the two dialogue panellists, Mark Swilling, Professor of Sustainable Development at University of Stellenbosch, and Mavuso Msimang, chair of Corruption Watch SA. Goals of the discussion included understanding what triggers state reform, mapping out what political will exists to do that and thirdly, what administrative arrangements need to be reconsidered in terms of building capacity and restructuring. The dialogue was hosted by former President Motlanthe and Roelf Meyer, with Prof Nick Binedell facilitating the conversation. This dialogue forms part of a series of discussions held between June and November 2020, which will discuss critical matters concerning all South Africans and their future

On 10 July 2020 the Kgalema Motlanthe Foundation, In Transformation Initiative (ITI), Democracy Works Foundation, Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) and the Hanns Seidel Foundation held the second of a series of five dialogues via Zoom. This podcast focuses on the inputs made by the two dialogue panellists, Dr Azar Jammine, Director and Chief Economist at Econometrix, and Enoch Godongwana, former Deputy Minister of Public Enterprises. Some of the key issues discussed in this podcast include how the national lockdown and social distancing regulations affected the already struggling South African economy and what plans can be implemented to rebuild and further develop the economy. The dialogue was hosted by former President Motlanthe and Roelf Meyer, with Prof Nick Binedell facilitating the conversation. This dialogue forms part of a series of discussions held between June and November 2020, which will discuss critical matters concerning all South Africans and their future.

On 26 June the Kgalema Motlanthe Foundation, In Transformation Initiative (ITI), Democracy Works Foundation, Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) and the Hanns Seidel Foundation held the first of a series of five dialogues via Zoom. This podcast focuses on the inputs made by the two dialogue panellists, Prof Adam Habib, Vice-Chancellor of the University of the Witwatersrand and Gill Marcus, the former Governor of the South African Reserve Bank. Some of the issues highlighted by the two panellists include how the Covid-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed the nature of work and operations, how economic policy will have to be reimagined and the question of state capacity and leadership during the pandemic in South Africa. The dialogue was hosted by former President Motlanthe and Roelf Meyer, with Prof Nick Binedell facilitating the conversation. This dialogue forms part of a series of discussions held between June and November 2020, which will discuss critical matters concerning all South Africans and their future.