Nyhetsbrev
Prenumerera gratis på våra nyhetsbrev och inbjudningar till seminarier.
Prenumerera gratis på våra nyhetsbrev och inbjudningar till seminarier.
In a region characterised by polarisation, the Palme Center’s partner ETU has strengthened dialogue between political parties through education and the exchange of experiences on coalition-building ahead of elections in countries including South Africa, Namibia and Mozambique.
These initiatives provided the parties with practical tools to manage different election outcomes and prepare for cross-party cooperation.
Ahead of the elections, ETU worked closely with governing parties on scenario analysis and preparations for different outcomes, as well as training in coalition-building.
Following network meetings, concrete support was also provided on how parties could act in practice in the event of a changed political landscape.
The results have been clear.
In South Africa, the ANC quickly accepted the election result when the party received less than 50 per cent of the vote for the first time and was able to swiftly form a unity government for the first time.
In Mozambique, established channels of dialogue between youth leagues helped to keep communication open following a violent election and facilitated a national dialogue.
Through targeted support, ETU has strengthened parties’ ability to manage political differences through dialogue and cooperation.
Food handlers win right to unemployment benefits in South AfricaIn South Africa, so-called food handlers serve school meals to over nine million children every day as part of the national school feeding programme.
Despite the importance of their work, these women have long been regarded as ‘volunteers’ and have been denied access to basic rights such as unemployment benefits.
When many contracts were due to expire in 2025, the food handlers organised themselves and turned their individual struggles into a collective fight.
With support from the Palme Center’s partner organisation, the Labour Research Service (LRS), they organised protests outside employment offices (which also handle labour law and social insurance), ran social media campaigns and launched a petition.
The campaign led to tangible results.
For the first time, food delivery workers were able to access unemployment benefits. At the same time, the Department for Education removed the word ‘volunteer’ from the job title.
Updating the paralegal manual in South Africa – rights in practiceIn South Africa, the Palme Center’s partner organisation, the Education and Training Unit (ETU), has updated the Paralegal Manual this year.
The manual provides practical guidance on laws and legal processes that affect people’s daily lives, and is specifically designed for counselling offices, civil society organisations, trade union representatives and others who support vulnerable groups.
The manual comprises over 1,000 pages and is available online, via the Legal Fundi app and in print.
The material is used by civil society, government bodies and local representatives to provide practical support on issues relating to working conditions, social security and legal processes.
By further developing these much-needed methodological resources in collaboration with other actors, ETU is helping more people to assert their rights in practice.
Young and marginalised people take their place in South African politicsThrough targeted training programmes such as youth academies and party-affiliated workshops, the Palme Center’s partner organisation ETU has helped political parties in Southern Africa to include young and marginalised groups more fully in their leadership positions.
The results are clear: participants from the programmes have gone on to take up roles as local politicians, party officials and, in some cases, national leadership positions.
In South Africa, ETU contributed to policy processes within the ANC that resulted in decision making on greater inclusion, with LGBTQI people also being given a greater role in political leadership.
In Namibia, young people from the programme have taken up leadership roles and participated in key party processes at national level.
Overall, the parties have broadened their recruitment and are increasingly including new groups in political decision-making.
