First published in 1996, the new Online Transformer continues to be an interesting and thought-provoking read. It began with six issues produced per year then on a quarterly basis and for a few years produced bi-annually. Afesis-corplan’s team of mainly in-house writers aim to inform, entertain and challenge readers to reflect on issues relating to development, ethical governance and public participation in the Eastern Cape and beyond.
Mostly, the new online Transformer aims to inspire conversation!!
Transformer Journal Volume 21 Number 1 | 2020
The first edition of the Transformer Journal for 2020 (Volume 21 Number 1, 2020) is now available for you to read. Look out for our Facebook and Twitter posts where we would love your interaction and comments.
Click here to view the full Transformer Journal on the digital publishing platform Issuu.
Click here to download the PDF of the full Transformer Journal.
Volume 21 Number 1 | 2020 Articles
Article 1:
A feminist lens to service delivery
Sikhander Coopoo
One of the world’s oldest forms of inequality is gender inequality. It manifests itself in violence against womxn and girls, in limitations on access to land ownership and on the rights of womxn and girls to engage in political processes.
Article 2:
Children’s right to shelter: Implications for upgrading of informal settlements
Ronald Eglin
The Constitution says that everyone has the right to “adequate housing”, and that the state must take reasonable “legislative and other measures, within its available resources, to achieve the progressive realisation of this right”
Article 3:
Community radios as platforms for accountability, openness, transparency and leadership in local governance
Zwanga Mukhuthu
Community radio stations are an important and accessible medium through which many South Africans receive up to date news and participate in civil society.
Article 4:
The not in my backyard syndrome
Qhamani Tshazi
There is a growing voice of community activists in South Africa who support pro-poor development for as long as it is not happening close to where they live.
Article 5:
Reporting on local government ahead of the local government elections: A call for listening journalism
Zimasa Mpemnyama
As South Africa gears up for the 2021 local government elections, which are always an action-packed news cycle, the news media will focus a majority of its time and resources on covering the elections.
Transformer Journal Volume 20 Number 2 | 2019
The second edition of the Transformer Journal for 2019 (Volume 20 Number 2, 2019) is now available for you to read. Look out for our Facebook and Twitter posts where we would love your interaction and comments.
Click here to view the full Transformer Journal on the digital publishing platform Issuu.
Click here to download the PDF of the full Transformer Journal.
Volume 20 Number 2 | 2019 Articles
Article 1:
Linking incremental settlement development and job creation
Ronald Eglin
We as a country are fast realizing that the existing approach of trying to build our way out of the housing problem is not working. We need to do things differently.
Article 2:
Do It Yourself (D.I.Y) Urbanism: An opportunity for rapid development in Cities
Qhamani Neza Tshazi
Citizens have become creative in claiming their right to the city. In recent years we have seen a rise in what is called Do It Yourself (DIY) urbanism where residents have claimed back their right to the city, including the right to influence how they live and thrive in a city.
Article 3:
Digital platforms as service delivery enablers
Sikhander Coopoo
With over 2.7 billion smartphone users globally and about 20 – 22 million smartphone users in South Africa, the mobile app industry is booming.
Article 4:
Good local governance a possibility: Advocating for Social Audits as a people centred oversight mechanism
Masixole Kente
The social audit tool is a mechanism that can strengthen inclusive oversight over service delivery in local governance.
Article 5:
In profile: Service delivery in informal settlements
Zwanga Mukhuthu
People in informal settlements understand that government may never be able to deliver the dream of an RDP house to all, and they are open to alternatives.
Transformer Journal Volume 20 Number 1 | 2019
We are proud to present the new online version of the Transformer Journal. Volume 20 Number 1, 2019 is now available for you to read. Comments and discussion are welcome!
Click here to view the full Transformer Journal on the digital publishing platform Issuu.
Click here to download the PDF of the full Transformer Journal.
Volume 20 Number 1 | 2019 Articles
Article 1:
A new Human Settlements Programme
Ronald Eglin
What could an alternative human settlement programme look like that would be more up to the task of achieving the progressive realisation of the right to housing within a more reasonable period of time?
Article 2:
The 4th industrial revolution: Implications for 21st century local governance
Reuben Baatjies
This article grapples with some of the questions that many ask in conversations about the 4th industrial revolution, such as: what is this 4th industrial revolution exactly and how does it, or is it likely to, affect the way we do things and most importantly, the kind of governance required in the 21st century? Is the 4th industrial revolution even relevant in our context at municipal level, or do we see it as the implementation of high-tech urban innovation exclusively modelled on developed countries and therefore bearing little relevance to our context? Can we even afford it?
Article 3:
Examining the existing infrastructure for public participation in local government
Nontando Ngamlana
“…government largely facilitates public participation to meet its compliance requirements as opposed to facilitating meaningful opportunities for co-creation and consensus-building.”
Article 4:
War Rooms: an alternative to ward committees?
Sikhander Coopoo
The research reflected upon in this paper concludes that war rooms are not a viable alternative for facilitating meaningful citizen participation in local governance.
Article 5:
South African youth,disruptive politics, and apathy toward voting?
Miche Roberts
At the close of the last voter registration weekend facilitated by the Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC), only 16% of 18 to 19 year olds eligible to vote registered, alongside 54% of eligible 20 to 29 year olds.
Article 6:
A law should be introduced to facilitate mandatory voting
Zwanga Mukhuthu
Almost half of South Africans who are eligible to vote remain unregistered to vote despite widespread voter education campaigns spanning a quarter of a century.
Article 7:
Democratic sustainability and youth
Pearl Pillay
“…the stigma around youth in South Africa is that they are foolhardy people, callous and disconnected from the things that happen in their country, and only require a celebrity social media campaign to be persuaded into participation. The South African Youth Manifesto dispels this notion. Youth in South Africa are incredibly connected to the challenges their communities face and are wholly invested in making things better.”
Article 8:
The impact of social justice activism and community development work on one’s emotional and physical well-being
Lindokuhle Vellem
It is the destruction of the world in our own lives that drives us half insane, and more than half. (Wendell Berry cited by Macy & Young Brown, 1998)
