Gendering the State: The Social Dynamics of the Gender Machinery in South Africa

This paper discusses the women’s movement in South Africa up until 1994 and how feminist activists helped shape the terms of the political transition by focusing their aims on engendering a gendered state. It then provides a brief overview of women’s representation in various levels of the state as a result of the consensus on the need for gender transformation. The paper shows that these achievements in representation have not translated into widespread material transformation of gender relations in South African society and also discusses the broader political economy conditions in which this lack of widespread transformation should be understood. The paper concludes that a political feminist women’s movement, which was demobilised in the early 1990s, is necessary to reignite momentum from below to struggle for meaningful women’s liberation in post-apartheid South Africa.

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Discussion Paper: The Right to Food and Food Sovereignty in South Africa: Challenges and Prospects

This discussion paper draws together the main issues that were uncovered in a series of dialogues on the right to food that COPAC held in Gauteng, Limpopo and North-west Provinces.The paper discusses the need for food sovereignty in order to achieve the right to food and finally puts forward a food sovereignty campaign proposal for communities and organisations to begin developing as a build up to the national dialogue later this year.

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