annual report 2013 - mistra · decline of the mapungubwe ‘civilisation’, transdisciplinarity,...

MAPUNGUBWE INSTITUTE FOR STRATEGIC REFLECTION (MISTRA)

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Physical address: First floor, Cypress Place North, Woodmead Business Park, 142 Western Service Road, Woodmead, Johannesburg, 2191

Postal Address: PostNet Suite 586, Private Bag X29, Gallo Manor, Johannesburg, 2052

Tel: +2711 518 0260 Fax: +2711 518 0266 Email: [email protected] Web: www.mistra.org.za

Mapungubwe Institute (MISTRA) • [A Non-Profit Company][104-474-Npo] • Registration Number 2010/002262/08 [“The Institute”]

Annual Report 2013 |14

CONTENTS

Message from the Chairperson of the Council of Advisors 2

Message from the Chairperson of the Board of Governors 4

Preface by the Executive Director 6

Background 8

Strategic Vision 10

Governance 12

Organisation 20

Our Approach to Research: MISTRA Policy Impact 24

Core Business 28

MISTRA’s Second Tranche of Priority Research Projects 42

Strategic Reflections, Joint Research Initiatives, Commissioned Studies 54

Operations 68

Human Resources 80

Finance 82

Financial Statements 86

2 M a p u n g u b w e I n s t i t u t e f o r S t r a t e g i c R e f l e c t i o n ( M I S T R A )

MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE COUNCIL OF ADVISORS

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MISTRA launched in 2010 with the vision to provide a long-term view on the strategic challenges facing South Africa and the rest of the continent. However, given South Africa’s status as a new democracy, it could not ignore the need of the diverse constituency that it serves for analysis and interpretation of current day events and developments. Importantly, therefore, it has steered a course of robust and intellectually challenging debate on the socio-political dynamics within our body politic without losing its core purpose. This has been crucial in a time of social and economic dislocation globally, on a scale far deeper, wider and longer than first imagined at the beginning of the financial crisis in 2008.

Short-term responses are inadequate and long-term perspectives in short supply. MISTRA’s research choices therefore are an invaluable contribution to South Africa and beyond. Among its new projects are The Great Recession, which explores the impact and implications of the current global recession, and the Changing Economic Balance in Africa. These follow on from published research into Platinum Group Metals and the Evolution of the South African State, with work being concluded on Nation Formation and Social Cohesion and The Arithmetic of Savings. As MISTRA’s body of knowledge expands, its insights into our interesting times become increasingly evident – as does the strategic logic of its research choices.

We are living in an era of profound change, where not just our economic assumptions and presumptions are being challenged, but where the planet on which our existence depends is at risk. MISTRA therefore has made enormous strides in a short lifespan, but it can never sit on its laurels. It has given itself an inordinate responsibility to contribute to the rethinking of our future.

JENNY C ARGILL

Chairperson of the Council of Advisors


MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS

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This year of 2013/2014 has been a period of further growth for the Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection (MISTRA). The focus on strong leadership, fulfilment of the MISTRA research agenda and the attraction of top quality staff is testimony to the Think Tank’s drive towards competitiveness. As leaders of MISTRA, we underscore that the ‘MISTRA proposition is a unique and necessary addition to the intellectual landscape in South Africa and further afield’.

We are proud that MISTRA has some of the best managers who have demonstrated efficiency and effectiveness in the utilisation of the Institute’s scarce human capital and financial resources. As MISTRA’s Board of Governors (BoG) we were fully cognisant in 2013/2014 of the fact that we carry out our business in a competitive world; and work during the year under discussion was pursued with this understanding.

2013/2014 was also important for MISTRA to advance its research agenda. Besides the release of five comprehensive research reports, the Institute was able to establish research collaborations with outstanding researchers and institutions in South Africa and the world. On the latter, the management and BoG successfully presented the case of MISTRA to potential global partners. This has had the potential to further strengthen the future of the Institute in all respects.

The year 2013/2014 was remarkable for MISTRA. Let me highlight a few examples of excellence and competitiveness. First, MISTRA was ranked among the Top 10 Best New Think Tanks globally by the Global Go To Think Tank Index housed in the Civil Societies Program at the University of Pennsylvania. Second, the Executive Director of MISTRA delivered an excellent first Pixley ka Isaka Seme Lecture at Columbia University in the United States of America. Third, Mr Barry Gilder, a Senior Research Fellow of Mapungubwe Institute (FMI), had a successful book tour in the US with universities and the African Studies Association (one of the largest world gatherings of African thinkers and scholars). Last, Dr Tanya Abrahamse, a member of the BoG, was appointed to the United Nations Scientific Advisory Board, and Dr Thandi Ndlovu was awarded the Businesswoman of the Year Award (Entrepreneurial Category) by the Businesswomen’s Association of South Africa (BWASA). These developments are testimony to the calibre of individuals who are in the ranks of MISTRA.

I wish to express my thanks to all the friends and collaborators of MISTRA. Your support and encouragement during the 2013/2014 financial year has been invaluable and contributed extensively not only to MISTRA but also to the development of our country in knowledge advancement. It also demonstrated your willingness to developing young thinkers who are mentored by individuals who have institutional memory. I encourage you to read the publications produced by MISTRA that are beginning to circulate around the world.

SIBUSISO VIL-NKOMO

Chairperson of the Board of Governors


PREFACE BY THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

As the curtain closed on the Mapungubwe Institute’s 2013/2014 financial year, MISTRA started a new period, the end of which will mark its fifth anniversary. This in itself is a monumental achievement, and the fact that MISTRA has deepened its contribution to intellectual and policy discourse in South Africa is even more cause for celebration.

During 2013/14, MISTRA released comprehensive research reports on the rise and decline of the Mapungubwe ‘civilisation’, transdisciplinarity, platinum group metals and fuel cell technology, patronage politics in local communities, and the evolution of the post-apartheid state. This was after months of workshops and colloquia, field studies and gruelling peer reviews. Besides attendance at these forums by policy makers and practitioners from both the public and private sectors, the most remarkable outcome of this process is the continuing engagement to integrate the findings into the programmes of relevant stakeholders. Thus we can measure MISTRA’s contribution critically on the basis of its policy impact.

Research reports on nation formation and social cohesion and on savings are being completed. As this happens, the Institute is already initiating research into new areas: the rise, decline and rise of Chinese ‘civilisation’, the arts and national development, a social compact in education, South Africa’s capacity in nano- and biotechnologies, the pedagogy of mathematics, South Africa’s innovation value chain, policy on green technologies, changing economic balances in Africa and the implications of the global economic crisis. And with this, the MISTRA family of researchers and partners is growing in leaps and bounds.

Strategic conversations in this period have included the Annual Lecture by Professor Mahmood Mamdani and a special public lecture by Professor Francis Fukuyama, as well as roundtables on Census 2011 and fertility data, on the legacy of Madiba, Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi, and the crisis facing South Africa’s NGO sector. In this regard, MISTRA is also meeting its objective to act as a platform for intellectual and policy engagement. This is besides the participation of its researchers in various conferences and seminars, the publication of papers and media articles, and other forms of public engagement.

During this period, the Mapungubwe Institute has further streamlined its consultancy work to provide insights to both public and private sector clients on strategic matters facing our country and humanity at large. As this activity expanded, so did the range of products MISTRA offers, including facilitation and scenario planning. In accordance with the policy of the Institute, such consultancy services do not exceed 25% of the work of MISTRA’s researchers.

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JOEL NE TSHITENZHE

Executive Director

The 2013/2014 year has also witnessed the expansion of MISTRA’s international networks, including engagements with visiting public and private sector delegations, strengthening of relations with such organisations as the African Centre for Economic Transformation (ACET) and other African ‘think tanks’, participation in the BRICS Think Tank Consortium, initiation of partnerships with Chinese and Indian researchers, and joint activities with Delaware University in the United States of America. MISTRA also appreciates the recognition as 10th Best New Think Tank globally in the University of Pennsylvania’s 2013 Global Go To Think Tank Index report.

In line with the directive of MISTRA’s Board of Governors, the Institute has not expanded much in the period under review. Rather the focus has been on strengthening partnerships, streamlining organisational systems and, as the saying goes, striving to achieve more with less. Though there have been some changes in the personnel of the Operations Directorate, the efficiency of this service has been retained with MISTRA once more receiving unqualified audit from its external auditors.

We are therefore proud to report to the donor community that their resources have been well and prudently spent, in pursuit of the ideals which they have so generously embraced. We wish to express our deepest gratitude to these distinguished partners.

This Annual Report is dedicated to the memory of the late Professor Bernard Magubane, a truly towering intellectual figure who humbly and discreetly guided the research on the evolution of the post-apartheid state. Along with all South Africans and the global community, we also dip our banners in memory of the indomitable giant of South Africa’s quest for freedom and democracy, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela.

It is from these and other stars in our firmament that MISTRA shall always draw inspiration.


BACKGROUND

Why Mapungubwe?The Mapungubwe Institute conducts research on strategic issues pertinent to the development of South Africa. Its focus includes efforts to unlock the full meaning of historical experiences and their relevance to the present and to the future.

When humbly deciding on the name of the Institute, MISTRA’s founders were inspired by the knowledge of a community that inhabited the environs of the confluence of the Limpopo and Shashe Rivers from 1000–1300 ad. The Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape is one of the profound treasures of southern Africa’s social and archaeological history, appropriately declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in 2003. Contained within this landscape is indispensable information on precolonial state formation, social hierarchies, architecture of stone-walled towns, mineral processing, and intercontinental trade.

MISTRA’s choice of name is not solely titular. The Institute’s commitment to taking a long-term view on strategic challenges facing South Africa is premised on the fact that there is much to be learned from ancient civilisations, and what made them succeed or fail. Mapungubwe Reconsidered, one of MISTRA’s eight inaugural research projects, was completed and released as a research report during the previous financial year. The project sought to contribute to the body of knowledge about Mapungubwe: how the Mapungubwe state rose, towered over its environs, and then declined – long before European colonial incursions. Many questions have been asked about this rise and decline, including: What were the social dynamics in this polity? What technologies did it utilise? How did it relate to neighbouring communities and to societies further afield? Indeed, why was this ‘civilisation’ unable to sustain itself? The ancient civilisation from which the Institute takes its name offers many strategic insights for contemporary South Africa about state legitimacy, quality of leadership, social stratification, gender relations, and the consequences of material self-gratification.

The story of Mapungubwe speaks to structured thought and development processes. It also contains lessons about the ebbs and flows of human civilisation. The Mapungubwe Institute has selected the golden sceptre – one of the artefacts found in Mapungubwe representing the authority and wisdom of leadership in communion with society – as its motif.

South Africa’s struggle for democracy encouraged intellectual activism at various levels of abstraction. Over the years, the country also developed areas of excellence in some natural sciences and application of technology.

The South African story continues to fascinate because it represents the confluence

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of successes, challenges, and aspirations that relate to global human advancement and solidarity across race, social status, religion, and other attributes.

The Mapungubwe Institute has been constructed on these foundations, drawing lessons from the past and contributing to charting a course towards a future of peace, prosperity, and general human fulfilment in our country, on the continent of Africa, and across the globe.

HistoryMISTRA was conceived in the latter half of 2009 by Professor Sibusiso Vil-Nkomo, former Commissioner of the Public Service Commission and then advisor to the Rector of the University of Pretoria, and Joel Netshitenzhe, then outgoing head of the Policy Unit in The Presidency.

As a result of an overwhelmingly positive response from widespread informal consultations, approximately 15 individuals with extensive experience in government, academia, civil society, and business were invited to a workshop in late January 2010 to take further the conceptualisation and formation of the Institute.

The attendees of the January 2010 workshop enthusiastically supported the establishment of the Institute and formed themselves into a Project Team. The Project Team included Sibusiso Vil-Nkomo, Joel Netshitenzhe, Barry Gilder (former Director General Home Affairs and Co-ordinator for Intelligence), Harry Dugmore (professor at Rhodes University), David Maimela (Deputy Director in the Gauteng Premier’s Office and former President of SASCO), Fébé Potgieter-Gqubule (former South African Ambassador to Poland and member of the ANC NEC), Tshilidzi Ratshitanga (former GCIS and currently in the private sector), Kgabele Solly Mapaila (then Head of Office of the SACP General Secretary), Patricia Hanekom (former CEO Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site) and Leonard Martin (former head of Stakeholder Management at the Financial and Fiscal Commission). A broader consultative forum gave advisory support to the Project Team and included Mosibudi Mangena (former Minister of Science and Technology and former President of AZAPO), the late Professor Jakes Gerwel (Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory and Naspers) and the late Joe Matthews (former Deputy Minister of Safety and Security).

The main function of the Project Team was to drive the design of the Institute as well as the planning and implementation of its legal establishment, funding, staffing, and so on.

The Institute was formally registered as a Section 21 (non-profit) company in February 2010.


STRATEGIC VISION

VisionAn institute for research and reflection on domestic and global dynamics with a bearing on the advancement of South African society.

MissionTo advance South Africa’s development by addressing the complex challenges that straddle issues of nation formation, economic growth, social equity, science and technology, and positioning in a globalised world.

ObjectivesThe Mapungubwe Institute is a progressive think tank, broadly informed by the ideals of our Constitution, to:

• developandadvanceSouthAfrica’sparadigmofthinkingandreservoirofknowledge in a wide variety of disciplines;

• advancetheall-rounddevelopmentofSouthAfricansocietyfortheattainmentofan improving quality of life;

• deepenSouthAfricandemocracy;

• promoteAfricandevelopmentanddemocracy;

• advanceSouthAfrica’sglobalinterestsinpursuitofpeaceandequitabledevelopment;

• contributetothemobilisationofsocietyaroundacommonvision;

• contributetothebettermentofthehumanconditionglobally;and

• promotesustainabledevelopment.

Business PhilosophyStrategic, high-level interrogation of issues in an atmosphere that is free from the pressures of immediate application, as well as considerations of sponsorship or sectoral interests.

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Key Attributes• Interrogationofphilosophical,theoretical,andstrategicunderpinningto

phenomena

• RelevanceinrelationtostrategicchallengesfacingSouthAfrica

• Blendofacademicandexperientialexpertiseamongitsresearchersandstaff

• Autonomyandindependence.


GOVERNANCE

Legal StatusMISTRA was established as a Section 21 (non-profit) company in February 2010 in terms of the South African Companies Act. The Institute is governed by a Memorandum of Incorporation, which is in compliance with the new Companies Act in 2011.

In November 2010 the Institute was granted Public Benefit Organisation status by the South African Revenue Service, exempting it from income tax and allowing the issuance of tax-deductible receipts to donors. In keeping with the new Companies Act the Institute has also registered as a Non-Profit Organisation.

Approach to GovernanceThe Institute elected to apply the highest standards of corporate governance to itself, with three levels of governance: a Council of Advisors, a Board of Governors, and a Management Committee (MANCO). It has also chosen to apply the applicable King III principles including annual external financial auditing.

Council of AdvisorsIn July 2010 the Institute established its Council of Advisors consisting of highly respected South Africans who, collectively, reflect the objectives of the Institute. The role of the Council is, inter alia, to:

• actasanadvisoryreferencegrouponthebroaddirectionoftheInstitute’sworkand, utilised individually and collectively, to contribute to the Institute’s broad strategic content;

• collectivelyandseverallyreflectandadviseonstrategicissueswithintheresearchagenda of the Institute;

• promotetheprofileoftheInstitutedomesticallyandinternationally;• contributetoinstitutionaldevelopmentandresourcemobilisation;and• assistinbuildingpartnershipswithinSouthAfricaandinternationally.

The members of the Council are:• JennyCargill–Chairperson• GeraldineFraser-Moleketi• ReuelKhoza• AntjieKrog• BarbaraMasekela

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• AbdulMinty• EricMtshali• DipuoMvelase• NjabuloNdebele

Professor Jakes Gerwel served as the Council’s Vice-Chairperson until his unfortunate passing away on 28 November 2012. He has not yet been replaced. The Chairperson of the Board of Governors, the Executive Director, and the Director Operations of the Institute also attend meetings of the Council.

During 2013 the Council held one meeting in July, which was a joint meeting with the Board of Governors.

Board of GovernorsThe full Board of Governors of the Institute was established in July 2010 and consisted of 24 South Africans with expertise and experience in areas relevant to the Institute’s work.

The Board was established to exercise fiduciary responsibility in relation to the Institute by ensuring that the Institute operates in accordance with relevant laws, regulations, and corporate governance principles. Its general mandate is to supervise management of the Institute and ensure that the best interests of the Institute are served. The Board, inter alia:

• providesguidanceonthebroaddirectionoftheInstitute’sworkbyapproving,monitoring, and evaluating the strategic plans of the Institute;

• contributestotheInstitute’sbroadstrategiccontent;• exercisesoversightongovernancemattersrelatingtotheoperationsofthe

Institute, including approval of corporate governance principles, as well as human resources and compensation policies;

• actsasthepublicfaceoftheInstituteonstrategicgovernancematters;• contributestobuildingdomesticandinternationalpartnerships;• receivesreportsfrommanagementandtakesstrategicdecisionsonmattersof

governance;• exercisesoversightwithregardtothemanagementofthefundsoftheInstitute,

and in this regard approves investment policies, budgets and financial statements;• ensuresappropriatesystemstomanagerisks;and• contributestofund-raisinginitiatives.

The Executive Director of the Institute is also Vice-Chairperson of the Board of Governors. The Director Operations is an ex-officio member of the Board.


During this financial year it was decided to reduce the size of the Board of Governors. The current members of the Board of Governors are:

• ProfessorSibusisoVil-Nkomo–Chairperson• JoelNetshitenzhe–Vice-ChairpersonandExecutiveDirector• TanyaAbrahamse• LuliCallinicos[SpiridoulaWebster]• PatriciaHanekom[Trish]• Jean-MarieJullienne• OyamaMabandla• BrigitteMabandla• MosibudiMangena• KgabeleSolomon[Solly]Mapaila• ThandiNdlovu• MuthanyiRobinsonRamaite• TshilidziRatshitanga• AllisterRogan• SibusisoSibisi• PeterVundla• SandileZungu• YacoobAbbaOmar–DirectorOperationsisanex-officiomember.

The Board of Governors met three times during the reporting year: in March 2013, July 2013, and November 2013.

During the reporting period, MISTRA Board member, Dr Mosibudi Mangena, was awarded the Order of Luthuli by President Jacob Zuma. This order is awarded to South Africans who have made a meaningful contribution to the struggle for democracy, human rights, nation building, justice and peace, and conflict resolution.

In this period, MISTRA Board member, Dr Thandi Ndlovu, was awarded the Business Woman of the Year Award by the Businesswomen’s Association of South Africa.

Further, MISTRA Board Member, Dr Tanya Abrahamse, was appointed to the United Nation’s Scientific Advisory Board. Dr Abrahamse is one of 26 eminent scientists representing natural, social and human sciences, and engineering who have been appointed to a Scientific Advisory Board, announced by the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon. The new Board will provide advice on science, technology, and innovation (STI) for sustainable development to the UN Secretary-General.

The Board has the following committees:

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Strategy CommitteeThe Strategy Committee serves as a board executive committee and meets bi-monthly, with the role of providing strategic guidance and support to the Institute’s management in between meetings of the Board of Governors. The functions of the Committee are to:

• considerurgentboardmattersinbetweenmeetingsoftheBoard;• provideguidancetotheInstitutemanagementonkeyissuesrelatingtothe

development and activities of the Institute;• providesupporttotheInstitutemanagementonresourcemobilisation;• considerregularfinancialandbudgetreports;• approvebudgetvarianceswithinparameterssetbytheBoard;and• decideonanyothermatterdelegatedtoitbytheBoard.

The Strategy Committee is chaired by Professor Vil-Nkomo and consists of:

• JoelNetshitenzhe• YacoobAbbaOmar• PatriciaHanekom• Jean-MarieJullienne• BrigitteMabandla• OyamaMabandla• MuthanyiRobinsonRamaite• TshilidziRatshitanga• PeterVundla• LuliCallinicos• SandileZungu

During the reporting year, the Strategy Committee held four meetings, alternating with the meetings of the Board of Governors.

Audit and Risk CommitteeThe functions of the Audit and Risk Committee are to:

• nominateforappointmentasauditoroftheInstituteundersection90aregisteredauditor who is independent of the Institute;

• determinethefeestobepaidtotheauditorandtheauditor’stermsofengagement;

• ensurethattheappointmentoftheauditorcomplieswiththeprovisionsoftheCompanies Act and other legislation relating to the appointment of auditors;


• determinethenatureandextentofanynon-auditservicesthattheauditormayprovide to the Institute, or that the auditor must not provide to the Institute;

• pre-approveanyproposedagreementwiththeauditorfortheprovisionofnon-audit services to the Institute;

• prepareareporttobeincludedintheannualfinancialstatementsforthatfinancialyear:- describing how the Audit and Risk Committee carried out its functions- stating whether the Audit and Risk Committee is satisfied that the auditor was

independent of the Institute- commenting on, in any way the Audit and Risk Committee considers

appropriate, the financial statements, the accounting practices, and the internal financial controls of the Institute;

• receiveanddealappropriatelywithanyconcernsorcomplaints,whetherfromwithin or outside the Institute, or on its own initiative, relating to:- the accounting practices and internal audit of the Institute- the content or auditing of the Institute’s financial statements- the internal financial controls of the Institute or - any related matter

• makesubmissionstotheBoardofGovernorsonanymatterconcerningtheInstitute’s accounting policies, financial controls, records and reporting; and

• performotherfunctionsdeterminedbytheBoardofGovernorsincludingthedevelopment and implementation of a policy and plan for a systematic, disciplined approach to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of risk management, control, and governance processes within the Institute.

The members of the Audit and Risk Committee appointed by the Board are:

• PatriciaHanekom[Chairperson]• TanyaAbrahamse• SibusisoSibisi• PeterVundla

The Audit and Risk Committee met thrice during the reporting year: in June 2013, September 2013, and February 2014.

Remuneration and Nominations Committee (REMCO)The Remuneration and Nominations Committee assists the Board in setting and administering remuneration policies as well as processing nominations for further appointments to the Board. Its role is to assist the Board in ensuring that:

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• theInstituteremuneratesdirectorsandexecutivesfairlyandresponsibly;• theInstituteadoptsremunerationpoliciesalignedwithitsstrategyandlinkedto

individual performance;• theremunerationpolicyaddressesbasepayandbonuses,employeecontracts,

severance and retirement benefits and other long-term incentive schemes; and• theInstitutedisclosestheremunerationofeachindividualmemberoftheBoardof

Governors and certain senior executives, including:- all benefits paid to the Board of Governors - all salaries of the three most highly-paid employees who are not Governors- incentive schemes to encourage retention- justification of salaries above the median- material payments that are ex-gratia in nature.

REMCO is also tasked with processing the appointment of senior staff and making recommendations to the Board of Governors.

It consists of:

• PeterVundla(Chairperson)• BrigitteMabandla• MosibudiMangena• KgabeleSollyMapaila• TshilidziRatshitanga

REMCO met once during the last financial year.

Management Committee (MANCO)The Management Committee is responsible for the day-to-day running of the Institute. It is chaired by the Executive Director, Joel Netshitenzhe, and consists of:

• YacoobAbbaOmar–DirectorOperations• LeonardMartin–FacultyHead:Humanity[to31December2013]• McebisiNdletyana–FacultyHead:PoliticalEconomy• VelaphiMsimang–FacultyHead:KnowledgeEconomy&ScientificAdvancement• IlvaMackay–OfficeManagerandCompanySecretary• LoyisoNtshikila–FinancialManager,wholeftMISTRAtojointheofficeofthe

Mayor of the City of Johannesburg at the end of February 2014 • LorrainePillay–whoreplacedLoyisoNtshikilaasFinancialManagerattheendof

the financial year

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MANCO has met on a weekly basis and invites the Institute’s researchers, the Head of Communications and Outreach, and Head of Consultancy Services to attend the meetings for those agenda items dealing with content matters.

The Board has delegated relevant financial authority to the Executive Director and other members of MANCO.


ORGANISATION

MISTRA’s organisational structure is headed by an Executive Director supervising a Directorate Operations and three Faculties.

FacultiesThe core research work of the Institute is conducted through three Faculties:

Political EconomyThe faculty deals with socio-economic issues and their intersection with the social structure of South African society and politics. During the reporting year Dr Betchani Tchereni was appointed as Senior Researcher, Catherine Kannemeyer was appointed as Researcher, and Sedireng Lerakong was appointed as Faculty Intern.

Knowledge Economy and Scientific Advancement (KESA)The faculty deals with the logics of natural sciences and their relevance for social development, including such issues as discovery, invention and innovation, incubation, adaptation, appropriation, and quantitative analysis. During the reporting year Nkoe Montja was appointed as Intern.

HumanityThe faculty interrogates history, arts and culture, and broad issues such as ideology and religion – in relation to societal development. During the reporting year Thabiso Chiloane was appointed as Intern. Dr Leonard Martin, Faculty Head of Humanity, left the employ of MISTRA in December 2013.

The establishment of these faculties is designed to provide focus to the work of the Institute. However, the transdisciplinary approach to research is a key element of MISTRA’s approach and the faculties therefore operate in a transdisciplinary manner. In addition, the Institute will undertake cross-cutting research including prospective and longitudinal studies.

OperationsThe Directorate Operations is responsible for operationalising the overall work of the Institute. Its functions include financial management, resource mobilisation,

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logistics management, communications and outreach, publications, library services, administration, information management and ICT, company secretariat, and human resources management.

The Directorate is headed by the Director Operations and comprises an Office Manager/Company Secretary, Financial Manager, Head of Communications and Outreach, Head of Consultancy Services, Office Administrator, Office Assistant, Communications Intern and Resource Mobilisation Intern. During the reporting year Linda Zwane was appointed as Communications Intern and Molly Gilder as Operations Intern.


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MISTRA’s research and other work is designed with the intention of impacting on policy making and policy makers, and in so doing the Institute seeks to be a change agent in society.

MISTRA seeks, through its work, to contribute to the developmental challenges faced by South Africa. This it seeks to achieve through a number of mechanisms, ranging from its research methodology and its composition to the suite of activities that it undertakes.

Research Methodology• Project Identification: In identifying its research projects MISTRA consults a wide

network of stakeholders in the academic, policy-making and practitioner sectors. This ensures that the concerns and priorities of these partners are taken on board from the outset in determining the research agenda and initiating interest in the outcome.

• Research Template: In order to ensure that MISTRA’s research projects effectively address policy challenges, the Institute has designed a template for its research work that takes into account the historical background to the issues researched, strategic and philosophical contexts, theoretical approaches, relevance and current applicability.

• Project Teams: MISTRA does not simply conduct research in-house and present the final outcome to policy makers. Each research project, undertaken by a project team co-ordinated by a full-time MISTRA researcher, includes academic and other experts as well as the policy makers and practitioners themselves. Through this approach policy makers are engaged with the research throughout the process and thus the research organically interacts with their own policy-development processes.

• Open Source Approach: Through the duration of MISTRA’s research projects a series of workshops are held involving a wider network of experts and policy makers to test the hypotheses and outcomes of the research at its different stages and ensure that the final outcome adequately addresses the policy-making challenges. At the end of the research project a public conference is held to communicate the outcome of the research and to broaden the public discourse.

OUR APPROACH TO RESEARCH: MISTRA POLICY IMPACT

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Combining the Academic and the Experiential • Forpolicy-relevantresearchtohaveanyimpactandeffect,itmustbebasedona

sound understanding of the policy-making and implementing environment and realities.

• TheMISTRACouncilofAdvisors,BoardofGovernors,managementandstaffaremade up of a combination of people with the highest levels of academic and intellectual capacity as well as extensive, high-level experience in policy making and implementation in the public, private and civil society sectors.

• TheprojectteamsconductingtheMISTRAresearchprojects,aswellasthebroader networks involved in the various project workshops, are also made up of a combination of academic and experiential expertise.

Networking• MISTRAhasauniquenetworkintotheSouthAfricangoverningparty,allorgans

of government at national, provincial and local levels, into the private sector, the academic sector, and the diplomatic and international communities.

• Itprovidesanextensivechannelforidentifyingcriticalissuesforresearch,forengagement of this network in the research itself, and for influencing the impact of the research on policy making and implementation.

• ItenablesMISTRAtobringtogetherdifferentsectorsofsocietytobrainstormaround critical issues of policy and practice affecting areas of social and economic development that require the co-operation and co-ordination of different social actors.

Consultancy work • MISTRA’sexpertiseandvalue-addencouragesmanyinthepublicandprivate

sectors to commission the Institute to undertake consultancy work on a range of issues of concern to policy makers.

• SuchrequestsalsoarisefromtheinvolvementofthesesectorsinMISTRA’sresearchprojects.

• Suchconsultancyworkincludesrequestsfromarangeofgovernmentdepartments at national, provincial, and local levels, from private sector corporations, and from universities and other research institutes on a range of topics including political and economic prospects for South Africa, the effectiveness of government policies in the areas of policing, social cohesion, heritage, and so on.


• Inordertoensurefocusonitscoreresearchprojects,MISTRAhasestablishedaprinciple of limiting such consultancy work to 25% of its research work.

Strategic Retreats• MISTRA’sextensivenetworkuniquelypositionsittobringtogethervarioussectors

of society to brainstorm difficult issues in a non-pressured environment, free from the constraints of formal, mandated interaction.

• SuchretreatstakeplaceoverafewdaysunderChathamHouserules.• Theyareparticularlyeffectiveinbringingtogetherleadersoftheprivatesectorand

government to thrash out issues of mutual concern.

Roundtables, Seminars and Lectures• MISTRAfacilitatesarangeofroundtablediscussionsinitsownnameorin

partnership with other institutes on a wide range of topics of relevance to policy makers.

• ThetopicsfortheseroundtablesariseeitherfromtheInstitute’sresearchprogramme or from discussion and consultation with partners in the policy-making and research communities.

Partnership in Implementation• TheInstitute,wherepossible,workswithdecisionmakersandimplementing

agents in managing the practical realisation of the outcome of its work. • Thisisfacilitatedbyitsabilitytoofferablendofacademicandintellectual

expertise, on the one hand, and practical experience in policy implementation, on the other.

Media Communication• TheInstitutedoesnotjustrelyonthepublishedoutcomesofitsresearchtoimpact

on policy makers.• Itproducesarangeofpublications,includingoccasionalpapers,Monthly Briefings,

and publications of speeches and papers on its website to impact continuously on public discourse on a wide range of strategic policy-relevant issues.

• MISTRAstaff,bothintheirpersonalcapacitiesandonbehalfofMISTRA,regularlycontribute articles to the media as well as participate in electronic media forums on a wide range of policy-related issues of current relevance in the public discourse.

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• TheInstitutealsoinvitesmediatoitsstrategicreflections,workshops,publiclectures and other events and ensures the provision of articles and other public interventions on the topics covered by these events, thus further contributing to public discourse on policy-related issues.


CORE BUSINESS

The core business of the Institute consists of two main areas of activity: research and strategic reflections. The products of the Institute include publications such as books, papers, articles, and – in the medium-term – journals. These can be accessed at: www.mistra.org.za.

The Institute conducts its research through a process of engagement and facilitation, drawing on the wide range of available expertise in the country. Each research project is led by a project leader, drawn from inside or outside the Institute, and co-ordinated by a full-time MISTRA researcher. Each research project is overseen by a project team drawing on external and internal expertise and tapping into wider expertise through the holding of a range of workshops during the duration of the project, culminating in a public conference of experts and stakeholders at which the outcomes of the research are presented.

During the reporting year MISTRA completed work on five of its inaugural research projects (after launching the report on Football on 29 November 2012), which all culminated in conferences to launch the following published research findings:

• TheRiseandDeclineoftheMapungubweCivilisation.ProjectConference:25 May 2013

• TheConceptandApplicationofTransdisciplinarity.ProjectConference:26 June 2013

• TheUseandDisplacementofPlatinumGroupMetals.ProjectConference:30 August 2013

• Poverty,InequalityandPatronage.ProjectConference:12 November 2013 • TheEvolutionoftheSouthAfricanState.ProjectConference:29 November 2013

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The Rise and Decline of the Mapungubwe Civilisation MISTRA’s research project on The Rise and Decline of the Mapungubwe Civilisation investigated key dynamics of the ancient Mapungubwe society in order to develop insights that are relevant to development challenges for present-day South Africa. The Mapungubwe state was a community that inhabited the environs of the confluence of the Limpopo and Shashe rivers from the tenth to the fourteenth centuries ad. The Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape is one of the profound treasures of southern Africa’s social and archaeological history, appropriately declared in 2003 a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). Contained within this landscape is indispensable information on precolonial state formation, social hierarchies, architecture of stone-walled towns, mineral processing and intercontinental trade.

MISTRA’s research project on The Rise and Decline of the Mapungubwe Civilisation raises questions about the interplay between the economy and the environment, trade and innovation, class formation and political legitimacy, religion, and social transformation. The project aimed to provide a starting point for further journeys of discovery on the interplay between various precolonial dynamics. Analysis is provided on the factors that contributed to the rise of the Mapungubwe society, its state system, the economy, trade and related factors. Lessons are also drawn from the dynamics that led to its ultimate decline.

The project team comprised team leader, Dr Amanda Esterhuysen (Wits School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies) and was co-ordinated by MISTRA senior researcher, Jeffrey Sehume, with core members, Dr Shadreck Chirikure (Department of Archaeology, University of Cape Town), Dr Alex Schoeman (Wits School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies), Dr Maanda Mulaudzi (Department of History, University of Cape Town) and Professor Sekibakiba Lekgoathi (Department of History, University of the Witwatersrand).

The research report on The Rise and Decline of the Mapungubwe Civilisation, entitled Mapungubwe Reconsidered, seeks to answer the following questions, among others:

• Whatexactlywerethesocialdynamicsinthispolity?• Whattechnologiesdiditutilise?• Howdiditrelatetoneighbouringcommunitiesandtosocietiesfurtherafield?• Whywasthis‘civilisation’unabletosustainitself?

Mapungubwe Reconsidered also explores the relationships between humans and the environment, management of mineral endowments, and the form and impact


of southern Africa’s global intercourse in this historical period. Beyond these issues are profound social constructs about state legitimacy, quality of leadership, social stratification, gender relations, and the consequences of material self-gratification.

Mapungubwe Reconsidered combines methodologies of archaeology, political science, economic history, and international relations to weave, in a unique way, a storyline that enriches current knowledge on the history of southern Africa. This transdisciplinary approach is immeasurably enhanced not only by the co-operation among experts located in various universities, but also through entangling, in an unusual embrace, the methodologies of academia, policy planning, and community treasures of knowledge contained in oral history.

Mapungubwe Reconsidered was launched at the Origins Centre at the University of the Witwatersrand on 25 May 2013. The following members of the research team and other academics made the following inputs:

• Overview of the Mapungubwe Research Project by Dr Alex Schoeman • Mapungubwe Collection in Context by Professor Alex Duffey: Acting Manager:

Faculty of Arts, University of Pretoria • Mapungubwe Trade and State Formation by Dr Maanda Mulaudzi• The Metalworking Industry of Mapungubwe by Dr Shadreck Chirikure• RespondenttoDrShadreckChirikure:ProfessorInnocentPikirayi,Departmentof

Archaeology, University of Pretoria• Precolonial southern African Identity by Professor Sekibakiba Lekgoathi• Heritage and Environmental Protection by Dr Amanda Esterhuysen• Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Historical Sources by Dr Otsile Ntsoane:

Indigenous Knowledge Systems Specialist• RespondenttoDrNtsoane:ProfessorAlinahSegobye,DeputyExecutiveDirector,

Human Sciences Research Council • ConcludingRemarks:DeputyArtsandCultureMinisterJoePhaahla.

MISTRA is in consultation with the Department of Basic Education to produce reference material from Mapungubwe Reconsidered for the school education syllabus.

The Concept and Application of TransdisciplinarityMISTRA’s research project on The Concept and Application of Transdisciplinarity sought to introduce a collective research initiative and establish a functional framework for knowledge application within MISTRA. Transdisciplinarity is, by orientation, an approach that recognises a united and borderless intellectual initiative. The longer-term ambition of the project is to guide collective intellectual

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ideas and action-based research inputs towards practical outcomes – thereby bridging the gap between knowledge production, policy and application.

In adopting a transdisciplinary approach to its research MISTRA seeks to move away from an over reliance on discipline-embedded theories, academic conformity, unquestioned deference to authority, stifling academic disciplinary specialisation, and methodological commodification.

The project team comprised Humanities Faculty Head: Dr Leonard Martin, senior researcher Jeffrey Sehume, project co-ordinator and researcher, Dr Hester du Plessis (Human Sciences Research Council), Louis du Plooy (independent researcher), Joy Rathebe (The Presidency), Dr Themba Masilela (Human Sciences Research Council), Dr Catherine Ndinda (Human Sciences Research Council), Osmond Mlonyeni (University of Pretoria), and Geci Karuri-Sebina (Foresight for Development).

The Transdisciplinarity project proposal was developed through a consultative process – team members were identified and the project planning was finalised after a number of workshops.

The project embarked upon a second phase of research to develop a comprehensive literature review on the intellectual development of transdisciplinarity. This was followed by the development of chapters (case studies) that addressed the application of transdisciplinarity within the framework of the Higher Education (HE) system in South Africa. The three case studies focused on three different institutions: the Centre for Transdisciplinarity Studies, University of Fort Hare; the Sustainable Energy Technology and Research (SeTAR) Centre, Faculty of Science, University of Johannesburg; and the Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria.

In framing the focus of the research project the following questions were asked and deliberated on:

• WhatistheconceptualstatusoftransdisciplinarityinSouthAfricanknowledgeproduction institutions?

• HowcantransdisciplinaritybefurtheredwithinHigherEducationtransformationgiven the constraints of the past, competing resource allocation, and the problematic state/education nexus?

• Whatistheleveloffamiliaritywith,andoperationalisationof,transdisciplinaryapproaches?

• Whatarethekeystructuralchallengesidentifiedbycentresorunitswhereitispracticed?


• Whatistherelationshipbetweentransdisciplinarity,transformation,anddevelopment?

• Withaviewtobroadenandadequatelycontextualisethesequestionswithinaspecific South African idiom, the research continuously refers to:- the role of a generic African philosophy in transdisciplinarity – investigations into

the prospective cross-fertilisation continuum of Western, Eastern and African philosophies;

- indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) as a substratum for further interrogation; and

- the power relations in speaking of ‘knowledge’: whose knowledge and whose functions are served in perpetuating a particular brand of knowledge production or discourse?

The research report that emerged from the Transdisciplinarity project was launched by MISTRA as a publication entitled The Concept and Application of Transdisciplinarity in Intellectual Discourse and Research on 26 June 2013. Held at the National Research Foundation (NRF) in Pretoria, speakers included Professor Sibusiso Vil-Nkomo, (Chair of the MISTRA Board), Dr Hester du Plessis (Human Sciences Research Council and Transdisciplinarity project leader), Mr Jeffrey Sehume (MISTRA researcher and Transdisciplinarity project co-ordinator), Dr Otsile Ntsoane (Indigenous Knowledge Specialist) who spoke on Knowledge Ordering & Transdisciplinarity, Dr Mbiji Mahlangu (University of Fort Hare), who spoke on Transdisciplinarity Curriculum at UFH, Dr Leonard Martin (MISTRA Humanity Faculty Head), Dr Andrew Kaniki and DrKalukeMawila(bothofNationalResearchFoundation[NRF]KnowledgeFieldsDevelopment).

Since the June 2013 Conference launch, several supplementary activities have been undertaken to publicise this research approach in academia, industry, statutory government bodies, and in civil society. These activities include, amongst others, partnering with higher education individual departments or research centres at Fort Hare, North-West, and Pretoria Universities. International interest in the MISTRA Transdisciplinarity book was generated through the endorsement of Basarab Nicolescu at the influential website Centre International de Recherches et Études Transdisciplinaires. An extended balanced review was done for the journal Integral Leadership Review by Sue L. T. McGregor. Along with the HSRC, MISTRA is in negotiations to collaborate in conducting an impact assessment of the undergraduate Transdisciplinarity curriculum of Fort Hare. Invitations to local and international fora are considered to popularise this research philosophy arguably attuned to the interconnected and complex advancements and crises of the twenty-first century.

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The Use and Displacement of Platinum Group Metals. The objective of the research project on The Use and Displacement of Platinum Group Metals was to interrogate the use of Platinum Group Metals (PGM), as well as other metals, in the development of downstream industries to service the global putative hydrogen economy. The research also sought to investigate the geopolitical implications of South Africa’s PGM endowment for the region and how South Africa could be positioned in the development of the hydrogen economy.

The research team comprised Faculty Head Dr Velaphi Msimang, project leader Thabang Makubire (who sadly passed away during the reporting period), MISTRA senior researcher Radhika Perrot, MISTRA researcher Wilson Manganyi, assisted by


Ayender Makhuvela, Dr Peter Mukoma (independent researcher), Mr Lufuno Marwala (independent researcher), Ms Joyce Lesia (independent researcher), Ms Nosiphiwo Mzamo (independent researcher), Dr Dmitri Bessarabov (HySA Infrastructure, NWU), Mr Rets Tawulo (independent researcher), and Professor Vladimir Linkov (Director SAIAMC).

Beneficiation of strategic minerals is central to the reconfiguration of the South African mineral energy complex. In the case of South Africa it has more than 80% of world reserves of platinum, a key ingredient of fuel cells used in a number of stationary and mobile applications. Dr Fatima Ferraz (of FADO Consulting) provided invaluable expertise and experience in exploring options for translating upstream activities towards a more sustainable approach to mining.

The research process included desktop research, workshops and interviews with key stakeholders, including platinum miners and an international fuel cell manufacturing company. Internationally, fuel cell technology has reached the demonstration level, as part of readying its commercialisation. In addition, the University of Cape Town’s Energy Research Centre was commissioned to employ its modelling capability towards probing the following questions related to the application of platinum-based fuel cells:

• Howwillfuel,infrastructureandtechnologypricesorothercriticalparametersneedtodevelop for hydrogen fuel cells to penetrate the market significantly?

• Whatfactorscloseoutopportunitiesforahydrogeneconomyinthefuture?• Whatisthegreenhousegasmitigationpotentialofasignificantshifttohydrogenfuel

cell vehicles in South Africa?

On 30 August 2013 MISTRA released the findings of the research project on The Use and Displacement of Platinum Group Metals in a publication entitled South Africa and the Global Hydrogen Economy: The Strategic Role of Platinum Group Metals (PGMs).

The report examines, among other things:

• TowhatextentarePGMsrelevanttotheemergenthydrogeneconomyandisthiseconomy truly on the rise?

• Whatisthestateofglobalresearchonhydrogenfuelcelltechnology?• Whatarethelessonsthatcanbelearntfromexperienceontheemergenceofa

‘disruptive technology’?• Arethecountry’sknowledgebaseandcapabilitiessuitedto,andbeingmobilised

for, the changes that are required?

Speakers at the launch of South Africa and the Global Hydrogen Economy: The Strategic Role of Platinum Group Metals (PGMs)included:MinisterDerekHanekom,Science&

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Technology; Mr Joel Netshitenzhe, Executive Director, MISTRA; Dr Velaphi Msimang, Faculty Head: KESA, MISTRA; Ms Kleantha Pillay, Anglo American Platinum; Mr Alfred Tau,ChiefDirector:Regional&SpatialEconomicDevelopment,DepartmentofTradeand Industry; Dr Iraj Abedian, Chief Executive Officer of Pan-African Capital; and Dr Mosibudi Mangena (Former Minister of Science and Technology, and MISTRA Board member).

Following the findings from its report on Platinum Group Metals (PGM) and their role in the global hydrogen economy, MISTRA has been drawn into the policy arena for the development of PGM beneficiation policies. Stakeholders in these processes include the public and private sector, with leading departments (in the public sector) that include the Departments of Science and Technology, Trade and Industry, Mineral Resources, and Energy. Development finance institutes (including the Industrial Development Corporation) are also involved. Private sector players include Anglo Platinum (the global leader in the supply of PGMs) and (more recently) Impala Platinum. Entrepreneurs and the higher education sector are also among MISTRA partners in a broad range of PGM activities that fall into the following three categories:

1. fuel cell development for application in both stationary and mobile applications;2. development of a case for a PGM metals exchange; and3. sustainability initiatives that will ensure mining communities thrive beyond mining

activity.

Poverty, Inequality and Patronage MISTRA’s research project on Poverty, Inequality and Patronage sought to investigate both the origins and effects of patronage politics, focusing primarily on post-apartheid South Africa with particular attention at a local municipal level. Specifically, the study seeks to understand the conditions under which patronage politics arises and thrives, its impact on the efficacy of public institutions and on the lives of the citizenry, as well as the meaning attached to it by those involved and affected.

The project team comprised Faculty Head, Dr Mcebisi Ndletyana; team leader Tony Trew (independent researcher); MISTRA researcher Leslie Dikeni; Karuna Mohan (independent researcher); Oupa Makhalemele (independent researcher), Ralph Mathekga (independent researcher); Robert Gallagher (independent researcher); and Khaya George (independent researcher).


The study examines the interplay between patronage and poverty, inequality, the conduct of public institutions and officials towards the public, and the state of the party political system. Its saliency is thus prefigured by the nature and presence (or absence) of the aforementioned factors within the various locales.

On 12 November 2013 MISTRA launched the findings of the research project on Poverty, Inequality and Patronage in the form of a publication entitled Patronage Politics Divides Us: A Study of Patronage, Poverty and Inequality in South Africa.

Patronage Politics Divides Us sought not only to gain deeper insight into the causes, manifestation, and impact of patronage politics, but also to examine how official measures at curbing the phenomenon have fared. The report investigates the specific nature and various forms of patronage politics, the conditions under which it thrives (or disappears), and its specific impact on the structures of governance, political culture, and the citizenry.

Specifically, the study examined how patronage politics articulates with conditions of poverty. While not assuming causality between poverty and patronage in either direction, the study examines whether the prevalence of patronage in specific communities had anything to do with the fact that poor people are less organised or unable to access state services independent of the corrupt intermediary of public officials. The study then set out to probe how poor people could best respond to these challenges.

Patronage Politics Divides Us is a profile of socio-economic life in South Africa’s various communities as experienced not only by locals, but also by foreign-born residents. The findings also show the relationship between councillors, business interests, and local party organisations. Among the issues examined by the research and the report, are:

• Whatsurvivaliststrategiesdothepooradopttomanoeuvrethepatronageminefield?

• Howdotheyconductthemselvesinrelationtotheoftenselectiveenforcementofmunicipal by-laws, which itself creates fertile ground for patronage and corruption?

• Wherelocalresidentscomeintoconflictwithforeign-bornnationals,orevenwithmigrants from other parts of the country, is this reflective of a shared grievance among the majority?

• Howdopoliticalpartiesdiscourageorentrenchpatronagepoliticsand,inturn,what effect is this having on the parties themselves?

Speakers at the launch of Patronage Politics Divides Us included Joel Netshitenzhe, MISTRA Executive Director; Xolile George, Chief Executive Officer, South African Local

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Government Association; Mcebisi Ndletyana, MISTRA Political Economy Faculty Head; Oupa Makhalemele, Ralph Mathekga, Robert Gallagher, and Khaya George.

The Evolution of the South African State MISTRA’s research project on The Evolution of the South African State set out to understand the historical evolution of the South African state and the impact of this on the inherited state in 1994 as well as the transformation efforts that have been undertaken since 1994. The project also sought to provide forward-looking insights into possible trajectories for the more effective transformation of the State and its utilisation as an instrument of social transformation.

The project team comprised Faculty Head, Dr Mcebisi Ndletyana, MISTRA researcher and project co-ordinator, David Maimela, Themba Shabangu (independent researcher), Vanessa Barolsky (Human Sciences Research Council), Lisa Vetten (Wits University), Robert Cameron (University of Cape Town), Mashupye H. Maseremule (Tshwane University of Technology), Ralph Mathekga (independent researcher), Thami Mazwai (independent researcher), and Oupa Makhalemele (independent researcher).

The research report for the project on The Evolution of the South African State was launched on 29 November 2013 as a publication entitled Essays on the Evolution of the Post-Apartheid State: Legacies, Reforms and Prospects. It is a collection of essays by the independent scholars and researchers in various fields who were members of the project team. The publication includes the following essays:

• The South African Police: From an Instrument of Terror to a Legitimate Modern Policing Agency by Themba Shabangu

• CitizenryParticipationWithinPublicInstitutionsandProcesses:ACommunity’sPolice? by Vanessa Barolsky

• The Simulacrum of Equality? Engendering the Post-94 South African State by Lisa Vetten

• Conditional Grants: Municipal (Mis) Use? by Robert Cameron• Political Administrative Interface and the Capacity of the State by Mashupye H.

Maseremule• State Evolution and Sovereignty: The Case of South Africa by Ralph Mathekga• SouthAfrica’sEmbeddedEnvironmentalDynamicsandTheirImpacton

Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development: A Critical Appraisal by Thami Mazwai

• SouthAfrica’sPostureinGlobalRelations:ChallengesandOpportunities by Oupa Makhalemele


The scope of the project included the impact of the transformation efforts that have been undertaken since 1994 and the impact of these on the State inherited then. The views across the essays are comprehensive but also contentious, affirming that the State is a contested terrain. The aim is to deepen the search for an understanding of the theory of the State as it applies to a transforming society such as ours, and to trudge the dividing line between theory and practice so they can feed into each other.

Essays on the Evolution of the Post-Apartheid State has generated considerable public interest. Like with other reports, sales of the research report have been consistent, with a wide array of stakeholders seeking to purchase the publication. The research team is currently engaged in planning a three-part seminar series on gender and state policy to be held in three provinces.

TheArt,Philosophy&ScienceofFootballinSouthAfricaAs reported in the previous financial year, this report was concluded in November 2012 and further football research work was identified. We are in the process of engaging a number of universities with a view of developing a football research agenda for South Africa, to be led by a MISTRA facilitated network of football researchers.

In recent months, the consistent underperformance of our national teams has caught the attention of the nation and is of great concern to the South African Football Association (SAFA). MISTRA has intensified engagements with SAFA and other stakeholders to take forward the recommendations of the research report so as to help improve football in South Africa. Given MISTRA’s commitment to this project of national importance, SAFA has invited its Executive Director to serve on its Development Agency.

Two remaining inaugural research projects that are still in progress are:

Nation Formation and Social CohesionThe project examines, amongst other things, the different interpretations and meanings that diverse social actors attach to the calls and prospects for nation formation and social cohesion. The purpose is to examine the efficacy of these concepts to present-day South African society.

The project is led by MISTRA Board member, Fébé Potgieter-Gqubule, with MISTRA senior researcher, Leslie Dikeni, as project co-ordinator. The project team is made up

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of a core group: Andries Oliphant (Lead Writer), Yacoob Abba Omar (who joined the team in 2013), Shepi Mati (Field Researcher In Western Cape), Vincent Williams (Field Researcher in Western Cape), Robert Gallagher (Field Researcher in Northern Cape), Feizel Mamdoo (Field Researcher in Gauteng), and Sandile Ngidi (Field Researcher in KwaZulu-Natal) – and a wider team acting in an advisory capacity. This group includes researchers, academics from various institutions, private sector practitioners, and various state practitioners.

Ethnographic research was undertaken in four sites in Gauteng, Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and the Northern Cape over a period of 18 months. It is envisaged that the writing process will be concluded in May 2014 after which a conference to present the research findings will be held. The research report will be released as a publication intended for use by both public and state actors.


The Arithmetic of SavingsThe Savings project concept was formally presented to the public at the MISTRA launch in March of 2011. As project leader, Professor Nicola Viegi said in his presentation at the launch that the project addresses the conditions that allow a nation to look ahead to the future, and the instruments that help it to do so. The subject of savings thus forms part of the process of nation formation and social cohesion because its key function – internally funded economic growth – is what contributes to the development of a more equal and prosperous society. South Africa’s present culture of low savings must be seen as a critical obstacle to the country’s development, and the reasons underpinning this impediment to growth need to be scrutinised. In line with MISTRA’s objectives of spearheading new thinking, the Savings project thus seeks to contribute towards a better understanding of economic, social, and institutional factors that contribute to the low saving rate South Africa is experiencing.

The project team comprises Professor Nicola Viegi (team leader, SARB Professor of Monetary Economics, University of Pretoria), Dr Evan Hurwitz (University of Johannesburg), Dr Betchani Tchereni (MISTRA), Catherine Kannemeyer (MISTRA), and Rachel Browne (MISTRA).

The work reflects on one of the binding constraints inhibiting South Africa’s development and transformation. Among the emerging issues is the observation that the South African low savings rate is a reflection of an overall lack of ‘future orientation’ of South African economic agents – households, firms, and the government – which is reflected in a contemporaneous weakness in private investment; a high reliance on the credit market to finance successive consumption booms; and a set of government policies which de-facto moves future resources to support present consumption.

During the reporting period, the core team worked through, sifted, and processed large amounts of data to bring to light the role of credit in consumption behaviour and the role of the State in national savings. The project is being concluded for the Report launch during 2014.

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MISTRA’S SECOND TRANCHE OF PRIORITY RESEARCH PROJECTS

During the previous reporting year MISTRA launched nine new research projects, namely:

• ThePhilosophyofChineseCivilisation:TheRiseandDeclineandRiseofCivilisations

• ArtsandNationalDevelopment:AnEvolvingSouthAfricanchallenge• BasicEducation–InPursuitofQualityandStabilityinEducation• TheHistoryofSouthAfricanInnovations–TheTrends,MatureNicheAreasand

ManagingTransitionFromResearchtoApplicationandCommercialisation• ThePedagogyofMathematics:IsThereaUnifyingLogic?• BeyondTheImagination:Genetics,Nano-AndBiotechnologiesandTheir

Applications• Earth,WindandFire:UnpackingthePolitical,EconomicandSecurity

ImplicationsofDiscourseontheGreenEconomy• TheGreatRecessionandItsImplicationsforHumanValuesandthePhilosophy

ofSocialRelations• ChangingEconomicBalancesinAfrica:ImplicationsforCompetitiveand

ComparativeAdvantages,IntegrationandGeopolitics.

The Philosophy of Chinese Civilisation: The Rise and Decline and Rise of Civilisations MISTRA’s research project on The Philosophy of Chinese Civilisation seeks to study the ebbs and flows in the evolution of Chinese society and the factors that have impacted on this. The research is meant to draw lessons on: first, the significance of structured thought in societal organisation and, second, clarifying processes responsible for impelling nations to attain higher realms in political, scientific, social, and economic development and progression.

The research focuses on identifying socio-political, philosophical, and cultural factors in both ancient and modern China, which saw to the rise of the Chinese nation state as a leading global force in past centuries, its decline, and its current achievements.

China’s relations with Africa are an important point of deliberation in a world competing for shrinking natural resources. Attendant questions relate to whether Sino-African relations can be posited as a natural consequence of geography, interrupted by European colonisation, and whether mutually beneficial relations can, and are, currently being forged.

While China is widely tipped to become an economic superpower, questions remain to account for why China did not assert itself in a wider geographic context during

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the Qing Dynasty (1644–1912 ce), as Europe did from the fifteenth century and North America has since done from the middle of the twentieth century. Philosophical underpinnings and the implementation of Confucianism or Asian values in Chinese society, politics, state organisation, ethics, and economics during the various historical phases will be comparatively examined. In this context, the research will interrogate the question of whether culture and value systems contribute much to the long-term development trajectory of nations and regions.

The project team comprises Professor Thaddeus Metz (University of Johannesburg), Professor Gauhar Raza (CSIR, India), Dr Hester du Plessis (HSRC), Professor Yongjun Zhao (Groningen University), Dr Ross Anthony (Stellenbosch University), Dr Garth le Pere (independent researcher), Richard Poplak (independent researcher), Kevin Bloom (independent researcher), Jeffrey Sehume (senior researcher, MISTRA), Dr Martyn Davies (Frontier Advisory), Maxime Lauzon-Lacroix (independent researcher), and Zuki Mqolomba (Dept of Public Enterprises).

Arts and National Development: An Evolving South African ChallengeMISTRA’s research project on The Role of the Arts in South Africa’s 30-Year Strategic Plan has three priorities: The first is to construct a theorisation of art that privileges the indigenous and the Southern. The second is to build a model of art and development demonstrating the potential for art to contribute to development in South Africa. The third is to construct a meaningful discourse, embracing the indigenous, concerning art and economic development in South Africa in order to assist in the creation of a conducive atmosphere for the arts through shifting the discourse in government and the private sector.

The project leader is Professor Pitika Ntuli and the MISTRA co-ordinator is Leslie Dikeni.

Basic Education – In Pursuit of Quality and Stability in Education This project aims to examine three interrelated areas: the meaning and purpose of education, the calling of teaching, and the impact of national interventions in the Eastern Cape Province. The aim is to promote the development of a ‘social compact’ among the practitioners to improve the education system. The team is led by the activist-educationist Professor Linda Vilakazi-Tselane who is a Visiting Associate Professor at the Wits School of Education. It includes Professor Sarah


Gravett (the Dean of Education at the University of Johannesburg); Ms Carol Nuga Deliwe (the Chief Director of Strategic Planning, Research and Co-ordination in the Basic Education Department); Mr Mareka Matyeka (an independent educationist consultant); Professor Denise Zinn (the Executive Dean at the Nelson Mandela Municipality University); Dr Logan Govender (an independent education researcher); Professor Chabani Manganyi (the first Director-General in Education in the post-apartheid South Africa); Professor Harry Nengwekhulu (the Unisa Ombudsman); and Dr Thembeka Mufamadi (research co-ordinator, MISTRA).

The objective of the research is to develop an understanding of the current ‘crisis’ in the education system. This goes beyond practical and policy-oriented research in four key areas (i.e. teachers; resources; management; and language). The objective involves especially a ‘prior’ discussion on the vision for Basic Education and an understanding of why this conversation has not yet been held in democratic South Africa.

The History of South African Innovations – The Trends, Mature Niche Areas and Managing Transition From Research to Application and CommercialisationMISTRA’s research project on The History of South African Innovations explores the development of humanity from innovations of ancient civilisations to technologies and innovation of the modern era. Precolonial societies, such as the Mapungubwe civilisation in southern Africa, and other settlements, had employed the services of artisans and skilled workers for discoveries and innovations, and further engaged in trade within and beyond the region. The emergence of the mining industry served as a major progenitor to the formalisation of the innovation system in South Africa, as it spurred the formation of research and development based on the mining industry within formal constructs of South Africa – such as technikons (formerly), and universities like the University of Cape Town (UCT), the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), and the University of Pretoria (UP).

In the late 1920s, South Africa made efforts to streamline and formalise the system of innovation in the country. This led to the formation of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), which co-ordinated applied and basic research in various areas pressing to the nation’s challenges such as health and biotechnology, among other strategic focus areas. By then South Africa had understood the imperative of innovation as the cornerstone for industrial competitiveness in the world. However,

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alongside the formalisation of the innovation system in the country, large bases of knowledge within the African communities were excluded, and the ownership of such intellectual property and indigenous knowledge were not properly protected within the formalised system of innovation.

This research project on The History of South African Innovations aims to address the issues and challenges of the South African National System of Innovation (NSI) by:

• asystematicreviewoftheoverallNSIandacontextualanalysisoftheinnovationsystems starting from the Mapungubwe era to the present – identifying factors driving innovation and analysing the impact of innovation on the South African economy; and

• criticallyinterrogatingtheappropriatenessofthescienceandtechnologyindicators currently used to measure the National System of Innovation (NSI) and suggest measures to enhance the indicators, and other measures of innovation and competiveness indicators, including patents.

The project will explore the evolution of certain artefacts and technologies within the socio-technical context across the three eras starting from the Mapungubwe era to the period after 1994. MISTRA will be probing for the potential roles of low-income communities and the informal economic sector towards the deployment and uptake of sustainable technology solutions. Policy recommendations will be accordingly developed for enhanced policy design and praxis. Interest in this particular project has been forthcoming from, among others, the Departments of Rural Development and Land Reform, and Science and Technology.

The Pedagogy of Mathematics: Is There a Unifying Logic?The evolution of human civilisation engendered a need to develop systemic tools to regulate human activity and harness natural phenomena. This led to the development of systems, numbers, and the logic of their interrelationships. Over time, commercial and other social activities influenced the development of arithmetic and mathematics. As an example, a basic calculation had to evolve to govern such relations as how to divide a family inheritance or measure assets. This gave birth to the logic of numbers in the governing of social and human development. The ishango bone, used by the fishing and hunting population in the Congo, is evidence of the social role of mathematics.

MISTRA’s research project on The Pedagogy of Mathematics seeks to interrogate how mathematics pedagogy in such a system of socialisation has (not) enhanced


mathematics competency in the country. An important question for this research project is: How is mathematics strategically supported across society given its centrality to the knowledge economy?

The objectives of MISTRA’s research project on The Pedagogy of Mathematics are to establish:

• howthepedagogyofmathematicshasdevelopedinourcountryovertime;• thehistoricalimpactofthesocio-economicandpoliticalrelations,which

characterised educational priorities of the apartheid government on the mathematics proficiency of the country;

• howmathematicspedagogyinpraxisofracialsocialisationhasimpactedmathematics competency in the country; and

• whetherthevaluespeculiartoaspecificnationimpactonaunifyinglogicofthepedagogy of mathematics.

The research team for The Pedagogy of Mathematics comprises Dr Velaphi Msimang (Faculty Head: KESA), Wilson Manganyi (Project Co-ordinator and researcher, MISTRA), Professor Mamokgethi Setati (Mathematics Education Specialist, University of South Africa), Dr Charity Mbileni (Innovation Hub), Marc North (Maths Specialist), Ranti Mothapo (Actuary), Dr Mellony Graven (NRF Chair, Numeracy Education, Rhodes University).

Beyond the Imagination: Genetics, Nano- and Biotechnologies and Their ApplicationsIn its discussion of science and technology, the National Development Plan states that ‘science and technology are key attributes of an equitable economic growth, because technological and scientific revolutions underpin economic advances, improvements in health systems, education, and infrastructure’. The discussion of the transformative potential of new technologies recognises that ‘the technology revolutions of the twenty-first century are emerging from entirely new sectors, based on microprocessors, telecommunications, biotechnology, nanotechnology, and human stem cell research. It further speculates that ‘the most remarkable breakthroughs may be expected to come from the interaction of insights and applications arising when these technologies meet’.

Nanotechnology is beginning to allow scientists, engineers, and physicists to work at the cellular and molecular levels to develop products and services with major benefits to society. In the coming period, the emerging field of nanotechnology

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and its convergence with biotechnology, in particular, is expected to lead to new biotechnology-based industries and novel approaches in medicine.

A new South African biotechnology strategy was launched early 2014, with a focus on the economy and how biotechnology could be used to create a positive socio-economic impact. The South African Bio-economy Strategy positions bio-innovation as essential to the achievement of government’s industrial and social development goals. The bio-economy concept is much broader (than that of the biotechnology strategy), and looks at the entire value chain in a range of areas of possibility and opportunity in response to South Africa’s priority areas of need.

However, a multitude of applications cannot alone establish the viability of the technology. The main issue in South Africa has been that there is a lack of co-ordination in its initiatives, and apparently there are too many biotechnology projects that do not end in successful ventures. For new and emerging technologies such as nanotechnologies and human stem cell research, an essential key feature required for a technology to achieve success will be socio-ethical acceptability, economic feasibility, and an appropriate intellectual property regime in a country.

Therefore, from both the perspectives of the potential benefits, risks, and uncertainties of nano- and biotechnologies, and human stem cell research, this KESA project aims to probe:

• theevolutionofnanotechnologyandbiotechnology,anditsconvergenceand possible future technological trajectories – which will lend insights and understandings of the associated implications, such as the limits of technological boundaries, standards/dominant design or technology, and factors shaping and defining technological trajectories;

• theethicsofdevelopingnanotechnologyandhumanstemcellresearch,andthe necessary policies that will aid in their development to eliminate, or at least minimise damaging effects on society; and

• thequestionsandchallengesofintellectualpropertyprotectionwiththeemergence of nano- and biotechnology, and their convergence, both globally, and within the South African context.

The project team for Beyond the Imagination comprises Faculty Head, Dr Velaphi Msimang, Radhika Perrot (senior researcher, MISTRA); Dr Diran Soumonni (Wits University); Shakespear Mudombi, (Tshwane University of Technology); Dr Hailemichael Demissie, (University of London); Dr S. H. Chen, (University of Nottingham); and Dr S. Tiwari, (University of Nottingham). The reference group team comprises of Michael Gastrow (HSRC); Professor Chirantan Chatterjee (Indian

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InstituteofManagement[IIM],Bangalore);ProfessorSabeloMhlanga(UniversityofJohannesburg and Vice President of South African Nano Initiative and DST/Mintek Nanotechnology Innovation Centre); and Ms Blanche Ting (Department of Science and Technology).

Earth, Wind and Fire: Unpacking the Political, Economic and Security Implications of Discourse on the Green Economy.The South African government launched a long-term mitigation scenario (LTMS) process on climate change in 2006, and its findings showed that, without constraints, emissions will quadruple by 2050. There is a huge gap between an unconstrained path(business-as-usual[BAU])andthatrequiredbyscience–thelatterisanabsoluteemission reduction by 2050. In 2009 at the COP-15 in Copenhagen, South Africa pledged to take action to reduce emissions by 34% below the BAU trajectory by 2020. The implementation of the LTMS strategic options is expected to deliver a substantial deviation from BAU emission trajectories, which is expected to be achieved through next-generation technologies.

However, little has been done in terms of development and deployment of environmentally improved technologies and innovations, and the plausibility of the energy mix proposed in the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP 2010) to reduce emissions by 34% by 2020 has not been adequately tested. The country’s seemingly lagging efforts in fashioning a paradigmatic shift towards sustainability are partly attributed to the path-dependent nature of its institutions, and industry and organisational incumbents.

Innovation is required to overcome lock-in to existing technologies, and/or technological systems, and/or lock-out of emerging, more resource-efficient technologies. Therefore, there is a need for policies to support innovations that solve environmental problems. An innovation systems approach will be adopted which stresses that the flows of technology and information among people, organisations, businesses and institutions are key to an innovative process.

MISTRA’s research project on Earth, Wind and Fire will have three overarching research scopes:

• co-evolutionaryroleofgovernments,civilsocietiesandindustries;• transitiontoalowcarboneconomy;and• regionalintegration:exploringoptimalenergystrategies.


The project team for Earth, Wind and Fire comprises KESA Faculty Head, Dr Velaphi Msimang; Radhika Perrot (senior researcher, MISTRA); Professor Lynn Mytelka (United NationsUniversity[UNU],Netherlands);SaliemFakir(HeadofLivingPlanet,WWF-South Africa); Manisha Gulati (Energy Economist, WWF-South Africa); Dr Solomon Habtay (New South Wales, Australia); Professor Edison Muzenda (University of Johannesburg); Lynda Mujakachi (independent researcher); Dr Diran Soummni (senior lecturer, Wits Business School); Simone Haysom (independent researcher); Dr Betchani Tchereni (senior researcher, MISTRA). The reference group team comprises of Dr Britta Rennkamp (ERC-University of Cape Town) and Hastings Chikoko of C40 Cities.

The Great Recession and its Implications for Human Values and the Philosophy of Social RelationsThere is a real threat but also promise in the current precariousness of the world economy. There is no doubt that significant portions of the world are falling into recession or at least losing their growth impetus. Leaders in the world economy, specifically the Eurozone and USA, are finding themselves in deep economic crisis. How this is characterised, and the options or solutions proposed, will have significant impact on countries in the periphery. How this is conceptualised will also open or close spaces for creative response in the periphery. More than that, the impact on human values and the understanding of social relations will also be impacted: so there is a great crossover from the economic to the more social aspects of existence in countries or regions of the developing South, in particular.

If these aspects of economy, society, values, and philosophy are not theorised explicitly, tragedies and misdirection may occur, e.g. false economic solutions; divisions and disunity in social movements for democracy; the (intellectual and other) concerns of a narrow grouping of previously hegemonic countries being entrenched rather than creatively challenged. This includes the danger of the rise of protectionism, as well as impulses of right-wing jingoism. Besides, global crises of this magnitude have historically presaged major regional or ‘world wars’.

There will thus have to be a historical analysis of the current crisis and analytical deliberations made on the causes. The role of the State, and the market generally, and the responses being attempted in the US and the EU, will be subjected to critique and exposition. There have been three kinds of response in the countries in crisis themselves: an attempt to impose austerity and budget cuts in pursuit of set deficit targets, retrenchments, and lowering of labour standards; the attempt

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to expand growth through infrastructural and other kinds of fiscal expansion; and radical rejection of the market itself and an assertion that this is the final crisis of a dying economic system named capitalism.

The objective of MISTRA’s research project on The Great Recession is to interrogate macro- and micro-interventions and their short- and medium-term implications. This will help in understanding the efficacy of model/s of development. Options and alternatives will be based on analysis of real changes and possibilities – thus, while speculative, the aim is not to be idealist in the understanding of the impact and implications of current events and their interpretation. Current responses such as the Arab Spring, the Occupy movement, and the war in Libya and Mali, provide real examples of possibilities and dangers. In all cases, a deep theorisation of alternative economic and social values would assist.

Much of the initial work will thus be literature searches on specific topics, and clear chapter definition for future publications, e.g.

• theoriginsofthecurrentcrisis;• theimpactondevelopingeconomiesandsocieties;• theemergenceofeconomicalternativessuchasBrazilandChina:theeconomy,

the market, role of citizens, and issues of inequality;• thesocialchallengersandnewdefinitionsofdemocracy,fromOccupyMovement

to Arab Spring to developmentalism;• emergingtrendsinAfrica;and• theutilityandlimitationsofpresent-dayeconomics.

These will be followed by multidisciplinary roundtables to interrogate emerging themes and suggest modalities for focus and final drafting.

The project team for The Great Recession research project is still being finalised.

Changing Economic Balances in AfricaOver the past 20 years Africa has experienced a revival in growth and development. While the sub-Saharan economy grew by 3% per annum before the 2000s, real GDP growth averaged 5% per annum between 2001 and 2006. Accompanying this have been positive macro-social indicators such as poverty reduction, improved school enrolment, and lower child and maternal mortality.

Many African countries such as Angola, Tanzania, Mozambique, Ethiopia, Ghana, and Nigeria are experiencing high rates of growth, though from a low base. As this happens the economic balances on the continent will shift, with new powers


emerging in the various regions. For instance, while it was estimated that Nigeria would overtake SA in the 2020s as the largest economy on the continent, the rebasing of Nigeria’s GDP would bring this close to the latter part of this decade. If it is able to resolve current internal political conflict, Egypt may follow suit a few years thereafter.

Combined, these developments should benefit the continent as a whole. However, it will be critical for the entire African continent – and more particularly, ‘the locomotives’ in the various regions – to work in tandem in pursuit of the collective interest of Africa’s peoples. Ill-conceived rivalries can only have the effect of undermining Africa’s collective development and its strategic relations with the rest of the globe.

The primary objectives of MISTRA’s research project on Changing Economic Balances in Africa are:

• todevelopinsightandaframeworkonhowtocreateconditionsthatnurtureaconscientious leadership in the continent: leadership here is defined broadly to include individual leaders, institutions, business, and civil society; and

• todevisewaysthatenhanceco-operationtogivemeaningtotheideathat‘we’reour brothers’ keepers’.

During the reporting period the research concept and the research teams have been finalised.TheprojectteamcomprisesDrMcebisiNdletyana(ProjectLeader&Head:FacultyofPoliticalEconomy,MISTRA),DavidMaimela(researcher&co-ordinator,MISTRA), Professor Melvin Ayogu (Economics professor and researcher, independent), DrOscarvanHeerden(IRspecialist,academic&researcher),DrBrendanVickers(ChiefDirector: Research and Policy, the Department of Trade and Industry), Dr Mzukisi Qobo(lecturer&researcher,UniversityofPretoria),DrSehlareMakgetlaneng(ChiefResearch Specialist and Head, Governance and Security Programme, AISA), Dr Eddie Maloka (Special Advisor to the Minister, Department of International Relations and Co-operation), Aziz Pahad (former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs), Yazini April (Research Specialist: Democracy and Governance, AISA), Xolelwa Mlumbi (Chief Director: Africa Multilateral Economic Relations, the Department of Trade and Industry), Ms Lerato Mataboge (Chief Director: Africa Bilateral Economic Relations, the Department of Trade and Industry).

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Commissioned Research Project: Ethics

Since 2013/2014 MISTRA self-commissioned a project entitled Seeking Ethical Foundations of the South African Nation (SEFSAN). One of the major events will be a conference; and SEFSAN and its resulting products aim to explore:

• WhatshouldshouldbetheethicalfoundationfortheforgingofaSouthAfricannation?

• Whatpracticaldilemmasandchallengesdothevarioussectorsofsocietyface?• WhatethicalprinciplesandvaluesunderpintheConstitutionandNational

Development Plan as blueprints for the realisation of political, economic, and social capabilities?

The core group with diverse expertise driving this undertaking consists of Professor Itumeleng Mosala (independent researcher), Dr Iraj Abedian (Pan-African Capital), Professor Tinyiko Maluleke (University of Johannesburg), Professor Thaddeus Metz (University of Johannesburg), Reverend Mvume Dandala (Methodist Church), Professor Ibrahim Moosa (Duke University), Professor Alinah Segobye (Human Sciences Research Council), Yacoob Abba Omar (MISTRA), and Dr Thembeka Mufamadi (research co-ordinator, MISTRA).


STRATEGIC REFLECTIONS, JOINT RESEARCH INITIATIVES, COMMISSIONED STUDIES

Strategic Reflections MISTRA’s Strategic Reflections are a range of dialogues and other events arising out of the research work of the Institute and other policy-related challenges facing South Africa.

MISTRA’s Strategic Reflections are meant to add value to public discourse and to incubate ideas by providing a platform for societal dialogue. This it will do in partnership with relevant organisations as well as like-minded institutions.

The Institute conducts regular open and closed dialogues in the form of:

• annuallectures• occasionallectures• roundtablediscussions• conferences• specialisedseminars• strategicworkshops/retreats• skaftin(brown-bag)discussions

MISTRA Patron’s Dinner On 17 October 2013, Cyril Ramaphosa, Chairman of the Shanduka Group and MISTRA Patron, hosted a dinner in support of the work of the Institute.

The dinner marked three years of MISTRA’s existence and provided an opportunity for the Institute to report back on its work and achievements since its establishment in 2010.

Mr Ramaphosa presented the Keynote address, entitled: The South African Journey to a Social Compact to an audience of MISTRA’s donors, business leaders, members of MISTRA’s research community, the diplomatic corps, and members of the academy.

The 2013 MISTRA Annual Lecture by Professor Mahmood Mamdani The 2013 MISTRA Annual Lecture, presented by Professor Mahmood Mamdani, was held on 18 March 2013. Professor Mamdani is the Director of the Makerere Institute of Social Research, Makerere University, Kampala, and Professor at the Herbert Lehman Professor of Government at Columbia University, New York.

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The topic of the 2013 MISTRA Annual Lecture was Beyond Nuremberg: The Historical Significance of the Post-Apartheid Transition in South Africa. The 2013 Annual Lecture attracted a full house of almost 500 thought leaders, drawn from a diverse spectrum of business, academia, media, government, and the youth. It generated robust debate among participants on the evening, as well as on social media platforms. The lecture has sparked discussion and debate and continues to draw interest from a varied array of South Africans.

The full text of Beyond Nuremberg: The Historical Significance of the Post-Apartheid Transition in South Africa by Professor Mamdani was published on the MISTRA website: www.mistra.org.za

Occasional LectureLecture by Dr Francis Fukuyama

In May 2013, MISTRA, in partnership with the Graduate School of Development Policy and Practice (GSDPP) at the University of Cape Town, hosted a lecture by Professor Francis Fukuyama, author of The End of History and the Last Man (1992), The Origins of Political Order (2011), and other titles.

Francis Fukuyama is the Olivier Nomellini Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI), resident in FSI’s Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law at Stanford University.

Dr Fukuyama has written widely on issues relating to democratisation and the international political economy. His books include: The End of History and the Last Man (1992), The Origins of Political Order (2011), America at the Crossroads: Democracy, Power, and the Neoconservative Legacy (2006), and Falling Behind: Explaining the Development Gap between Latin America and the United States (2008).

The transcript of Dr Fukuyama’s lecture, which covered the main themes in his book The Origins of Political Order (2011), is now available on the MISTRA website.

Roundtables Roundtable on The legacies of Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr and Mahatma Gandhi: A humanitarian approach to service delivery

In February 2014, MISTRA, in partnership with the University of Pretoria’s Centre for Scholarship, convened a roundtable on ‘a humanitarian approach to service delivery’. The roundtable sought to examine several key issues on public service,


drawing on the legacies, values, and strategies of Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jnr, and Mahatma Gandhi.

The panel comprised Professor Leland Ware, of the University of Delaware; Sello Hatang, Chief Executive Officer of the Nelson Mandela Foundation; Professor Dilip Menon, a comparative historian and the Mellon Chair in Indian Studies at the University of Witwatersrand. Professor Sibusiso Vil-Nkomo, Chairperson of the MISTRA Board of Governors, chaired the discussion.

Roundtable: The crisis in the NGO sector: critical reflections on civil society

InJune2013MISTRAandtheWitsGraduateSchoolofPublic&DevelopmentManagement(P&DM)jointlyhostedaroundtableonthecrisisintheNGOsector.

The roundtable brought together activists to reflect on the crisis, and speakers includedPiroshawCamay(Director,Co-operativeforResearch&Education–CORE),Zanele Twala (Executive Director, Bridge Linking Innovators in Education), Reverend Mautji Pataki (Secretary General, SA Council of Churches), and Paul Graham (former Executive Director, Idasa).

Deliberations centred on the crisis in the sector, both in terms of substantive focus and resourcing. Starting with a general consensus that the roots of the crisis are to be found in the period after the demise of apartheid and the consolidation of the new South African democracy, various causes were highlighted: an exit or relocation of leadership, the crisis of the economy, and an inconsistent approach on the part of the State to funding NGOs. Related to all this is wide-scale funding fatigue.

Roundtable with the South African Reserve Bank on Growth, Job Creation and Financial Stability with Gunter Pauli

In May 2013, the Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection, in partnership with the South African Reserve Bank, hosted Professor Gunter Pauli at a one-day workshop that examined opportunities for sustainable growth and job creation.

Professor Gunter Pauli is a world-renowned innovator whose entrepreneurial activities span business, culture, science, politics, and the environment under the rubric of the Blue Economy. Professor Pauli specialises in identifying new sectors of the economy at the macro level, designing new competitive strategies for corporations at the micro level, and building social capital for communities at the local level.

The discussion was based on actual cases that have been implemented in different parts of the world that can offer South Africa exciting options for inclusive and sustainable growth. Under the theme ‘Growth, Jobs, and Financial Stability’ the

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workshop considered ways to expand competitive opportunities in the real economy, including mining, manufacturing, and agriculture.

Professor Gunter Pauli, an expert in the field with a track record of translating a strategic vision into hands-on initiatives on a large scale, shared his approach and experiences. Other speakers included Reserve Bank Governor, Gill Marcus, and MISTRA Executive Director, Joel Netshitenzhe.

Roundtable with Dr Greg Olsen: Do the Opportunities Offered by Space Exploration Justify the Investment?

In March 2013, MISTRA, in partnership with the University of Johannesburg (UJ), hosted a roundtable on space exploration with cosmonaut, Dr Greg Olsen.

Dr Olsen is an American entrepreneur, engineer, and scientist who, in October 2005, became the third private citizen to make a self-funded trip to the International Space Station. Dr Olsen was the co-founder and chair of Sensors Unlimited Inc., a company developing optoelectronic devices such as sensitive near-infrared (NIR) and shortwave-infrared (SWIR) cameras. One of Sensors Unlimited’s major customers is NASA. Currently, Olsen is President of GHO Ventures, LLC, and is also a physics professor at Rider University in New Jersey, United States.

The roundtable was opened with an input by the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Johannesburg, Professor Ihron Rensburg.

Dr Olsen spoke about his trip to outer space and also addressed the theme of the roundtable: Do the Opportunities Offered by Space Exploration Justify the Investment? Respondents to Dr Olsen included Professor Tshilidzi Marwala, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Innovation, Postgraduate Studies at UJ and Fellow of the Mapungubwe Institute; and Cecilia Haak, Infrastructure Engineer at the Square Kilometre Array (SKA).

The roundtable also marked the launch of MISTRA’s youth network (MISTRAy). MISTRAy, to be constituted by young South Africans in youth development, research, public service, the academia, entrepreneurship, students, and those in the private/corporate sector, is intended to be a platform facilitating engagement on issues confronting and of concern to youth between and among themselves and MISTRA. To enable this, MISTRAy will host a series of roundtables and other events and activities.

Roundtables with Representatives of the State of Delaware (USA), and Delaware University

In February 2013, the Mapungubwe Institute, in partnership with the Department


of Public Management at the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT), convened a series of roundtable discussions between TUT, MISTRA, and representatives of the State of Delaware (USA) and Delaware University.

The Delaware delegation, comprising academics and business leaders, was led by Senator Chris Coons. The delegation included, among others: the Honourable Jeff Bullock (Secretary of the State of Delaware), Mr John Pastor (Director of International Trade for the State of Delaware), Professor Dan Rich (Professor of Public Policy at the School of Public Policy and Administration at the University of Delaware and a former provost of the University of Delaware), and Professor Maria Aristigueta (Charles P. Messick Professor of Public Administration and Director of the School of Public Policy and Administration at the University of Delaware).

As a follow-up, the MISTRA delegation had a roundtable with the University of Delaware on 1 November 2013 at the University of Delaware. The roundtable discussed a wide-ranging set of issues with a special focus on strategies for reducing inequality in the US and South Africa, and building partnerships, especially given the limited success of international partnerships. The roundtable was also addressed by Ms Alexandra Davis, a senior UD student who spent six weeks in South Africa attached to MISTRA.

SkaftinsMISTRA skaftins are informal brown-bag discussions meant to encourage a free flow of ideas.

Skaftin session with Professor Henning Melber on the philosophies of Dag Hammarskjöld

In July 2013, MISTRA had the good fortune of engaging with Professor Henning Melber in a Skaftin session. Professor Melber previously headed the Nordic Africa Institute and is now the Senior Adviser and Director Emeritus of the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation in Sweden.

The session focused on the legacy and philosophies of former United Nations Secretary General, Dag Hammarskjöld, and how these philosophies can be used as a frame of reference towards global governance and solidarity. Mr Hammarskjöld was a well-known advocate for the respect of fundamental human rights, and the need for global co-operation in order to fight against social inequalities and injustices.

Professor Melber questioned who acts as the conscience of governments and decision makers? Where is the line drawn? According to Professor Melber, much can

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be learned from the leadership style of Dag Hammarskjöld, where a human rights approach to governance is central. He also advised that civil society and individuals should continue to speak out against unethical leadership.

Skaftin on Publishing

The director of publications from AISA (African Institute of South Africa), Mr Solani Ngobeni, presented to the MISTRA team on scholarly publication in South Africa. This skaftin was for the benefit of researchers, many of whom are in need of guidelines and tips on how to successfully publish their works. Besides giving technical advice on the rules for submitting manuscripts, draft papers, etc. Mr Ngobeni offered insight into the operations of the publishing industry in South Africa.

Mr Ngobeni’s presentation provided a context of Africa’s publishing industry and the challenges faced by publishers and those who would like their work published. South Africa has, arguably, the biggest publishing industry in Africa. University of South Africa (Unisa), University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), and the University of Stellenbosch are some of the university presses that are available. Despite this advantage, there are several factors that hinder the growth of the African publishing industry and the number of titles produced in Africa. Often, African authors tend to publish their works in publishing houses of countries in the North, therefore qualifying their works as belonging to that country of publication. These books are then imported and in turn become too expensive for most people living in Africa to purchase.

Other encumbering factors on the continent as a whole include: limited available publishing houses, a general lack of reading culture, low budgets allocated to university presses, advancement of the internet (a shift into electronic publishing) and obstacles faced in distribution and access of published works.

Although some publishing houses continue to chase the bottom line over quality, Mr Ngobeni urged writers and researchers to contest the current system and reclaim the knowledge production of Africa from the North.

Skaftin with Young Entrepreneurs

In May 2013, MISTRA had the pleasure of engaging with five young South African software entrepreneurs who have made it to the final 133 applications out of almost 800 applications submitted to the United States’ National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Space App Challenge competition. This competition was entered by 9,000 people from 83 cities in 44 countries.


Thami Zulu (designer), Melvin Musehani (mobile apps developer), Klaas Kabini (mobile developer), and Stephen Kobue (software engineer) worked together in creating an app (short for application) called Cosmic Hub, which is implemented into the new Blackberry Z10 phone. This app was designed to share visuals of near earth objects (NEOs), and also to provide the simulation of our solar system. A user can get a cosmic view of the distance of the planets in relation to the sun. The Cosmic Hub crowd sources the discovery and confirmation of NEOs (such as comets and asteroids) by allowing people to comment, confirm, and share the sightings on their favourite social networks.

What inspired these youths to create the Cosmic Hub app was to improve the public’s understanding of science and space exploration. By providing a user-friendly app, a visual element was added to help decode some of the science jargon that only a few can understand. This group of young entrepreneurs is led by Mr Nicol Shingange of Ntokoto Holdings, who is their project manager. Mr Shingange, who has experience in IT, Business Management, and Engineering provides support and business advice to these youths.

MISTRA plans to engage more intensely with these entrepreneurs under the MISTRA youth network (MISTRAy). It is MISTRA’s goal to assist them, where possible, in expanding their audience base beyond their niche. Also, MISTRA looks to collaborate with them in raising awareness and interest in science and technology among the youth and the South African public in general.

Skaftin on The History of South African Innovations

During the reporting period MISTRA convened a skaftin session on The History of South African Innovations.

The discussion focused on what constitutes innovation, the forces behind innovation, and the impact of those forces on the process of innovation. It also addressed the issues and challenges that have been sidelined by National System Innovation (NSI) studies, scholars in South Africa, as well as the contribution of traditional knowledge practices, such as indigenous knowledge systems (IKS), and informal systems of innovation based on township models of livelihood, to the NSI.

The history of innovation provides a narration of the development of humanity from innovations of ancient civilisations to technologies and innovation of modern civilisations. Precolonial societies, such as the Mapungubwe civilisation in Southern Africa and other settlements, had employed the services of artisans and skilled workers for discoveries and innovations in the country. This mode of labour spurred

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the formation of research and development based on the mining industry of South Africa.

In an effort to streamline and formalise innovation in South Africa, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) undertook to co-ordinate applied and basic research in various areas pressing to the country’s challenges such as health and biotechnology. During the 1920s, South Africa had already understood the imperative of innovation as the cornerstone for industrial competitiveness in the world. However, alongside the formalisation of the innovation system in the country, large bases of knowledge within black African communities were excluded. As such, the ownership of intellectual property and indigenous knowledge were not properly protected within the formalised system of innovation.


In order to further MISTRA’s strategic vision, the project will interrogate the evaluation of the South African NIS, which involves examining the history, trends in innovation, as well as application and commercialisation of NIS. The analysis and objectives of the project require that a relationship between technological and social change be established. For this reason, MISTRA’s humanity project, The Rise and Decline of Mapungubwe (and Other African) Civilisations, will also be used as a study to track this relationship across societal adaptation, integration, and utilisation of technology among these civilisations.

Beyond the Imagination

In October 2013, MISTRA convened a skaftin on bio- and nanotechnologies as a part of South Africa’s development plan. Nanotechnology refers to the study and application of extremely small things at a molecular scale, while biotechnology is concerned with the medical application of living organisms by humans. The study and discussion thus looked at these two terms in parallel to determine the best solution for the country.

The transformative potential of nanotechnology recognises that technological innovations are occurring across a multitude of sectors, all of which are based on microprocessors, telecommunications, biotechnology, and nanotechnology. The discussion on the notion of transformative potential also suggests that the interaction and convergence of technologies across sectors could bring about the greatest technological breakthroughs in the twenty-first century.

Nanotechnology is beginning to allow scientists, engineers, and physicians to work at the cellular and molecular levels to develop products and services with major benefits to society. The emerging field of nanotechnology and its convergence with biotechnology is expected to lead to new biotechnology-based industries and novel approaches in medicine. However, a multitude of applications cannot alone establish the viability of the technology.

From MISTRA’s perspective, this project, based in our Faculty of Knowledge Economy and Scientific Advancement (KESA), aims to probe the following potential benefits, risks, and uncertainties of biotechnologies:

• theevolutionofnanotechnologyandbiotechnologyanditsconvergenceandpossible future technological trajectories;

• theethicsofdevelopingnanotechnologyandnecessarypoliciesthatcouldassistin eliminating or minimising its damaging effects on society; and

• questionsofchallengestointellectualpropertyprotectionsincetheemergenceofnano-and biotechnology within a global and regional framework.

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Through an analysis of the history and evolution of biotechnology and implications thereof, this KESA project hopes to gain a more thorough understanding of the factors which define and shape technological trajectories based on biotechnologies, including genetic engineering, and in so doing forecast possible future trajectories of these technologies and their role in improving on the challenges in the field of science and technology.

Further from the discussion it was suggested that the project take into account how technology impacts on social consciousness and what it means for social demographics. Factors such as how much of a choice science gives to people, if through nano- and biotechnologies it becomes possible for parents to decide whether to give birth to a girl or a boy, need to be factored. The KESA team aim to study the impact of nanotechnologies and capture the essence of this study and illustrate the uniqueness of this for South African development.

Skaftin Discussion on Religion and Spirituality

In September 2013 MISTRA convened a skaftin discussion focused on the topic of Religion and Spirituality.

The discussion was between Mr Vele Neluvhalani and Dr Otsile Ntsoane, moderated by Professor Peter Lekgoathi. All three are project team members of the Institute’s flagship research project, The Rise and Decline of the Mapungubwe (and Other African) Civilisations.

Participants and discussants at the roundtable included:

• MrVeleNeluvhalani–oralhistorian• DrOtsileNtsoane–indigenousknowledgesystem(IKS)specialist• ProfessorPeterLekgoathi–historian• JeffreySehume–MISTRAseniorresearcher• DrLeonardMartin–MISTRAHumanityFacultyHead• DrVelaphiMsimang–MISTRAKESAFacultyHead• RadhikaPerrot–MISTRAseniorresearcher• WilsonManganyi–MISTRAresearcher• TebogoMatsimela–MISTRAintern

The objective of the discussion was to discuss aspects of religion and spirituality in relation to indigenous knowledge systems (IKS). A principle question framing the discussion was: To what extent has the Mapungubwe project raised questions in the status of knowledge within the framework of the country’s indigenous knowledge system legacies? Such a question touches on how the local people at Mapungubwe


constructed their world-views and their interpretations of interactions between humankind and nature.

Education Skaftin: What Education System is Suitable for the South African Condition?

In October 2013, MISTRA convened a skaftin discussion on its education project entitled, ‘Basic Education: in Pursuit of Quality and Stability in Education’. The project intends to research the overall complexity of multiple and converging factors (or ‘toxic mix’ of factors) that impede the development and consolidation of national education provision. How, for example, to align national education infrastructure with appropriate teacher training to meet both constitutional and national socio-economic and macro-economic challenges through redress of inequalities in education?

The education system pupils are conditioned to today is in a state of collapse: material infrastructure is in disarray, there exists an inadequate supply of textbooks, buildings have deteriorated, teachers are poorly trained, and most students have become demoralised by their reality. The education project thus intends to take a closer look at the education crisis in South Africa with emphasis on a suitable education model for the South African condition. Central to this topic must be how South African education moves away from a Eurocentric perspective of implementation and more towards a model specially designed to deal with the situation within the capacity of the country.

It is necessary, especially given the well-known education crisis, to examine key policy areas that will improve the Basic Education system. Nonetheless, there remain conceptual discussions that need to be held about the vision for education within the realities/context and history of South Africa.

Colloquia In July 2013, MISTRA convened a colloquium on its research project on Nation Formation and Social Cohesion.

The Colloquium provided a series of presentations highlighting the work done by the research team over a period of 18 months. It provided an opportunity to engage in a critical way with the theoretical and methodological outcomes of the research process. The core research team will integrate key issues emerging from the Colloquium into the final Research Report.

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The project leader, Febe Potgieter-Gqubule, was the programme director for the colloquium, which included presentations by: Professor Andries Oliphant (lead writer), Mr Leslie Dikeni (project co-ordinator, KZN research site), Mr Robert Gallagher (Field Researcher, Northern Cape research site), Mr Shepi Mati (field researcher, Western Cape research site), and Feizel Mamdoo (Fietas research site).

Discussants who spoke on ‘The Role of the State and Non-state Actors in Building Social Cohesion’ included: Rashid Seedat (Gauteng Provincial National Planning Commission), Josephilda Nhlapho (National Planning Commission Secretariat), Dr Caryn Abrahams (The Ahmed Kathrada Foundation), and Frank Meintjies (private consultant). Phutase Ntseki (COSATU’s Gauteng Provincial Secretary) and MISTRA Director Operations, Yacoob Abba Omar, were respondents on ‘The Role of Business and Labour in Building Social Cohesion’.

Colloquium on the Research Project on the Use and Displacement of Strategic Minerals

In July 2013 MISTRA convened a colloquium on the Research Project on the Use and Displacement of Strategic Minerals with key experts and interested parties to allow for comments, interrogation, and interaction on the work of the research project on the use and displacement of strategic minerals. This research project on strategic minerals focuses on the potential applications and impact of platinum group metals (PGM) within the Hydrogen Economy, in which South Africa can play a crucial role.

Presentations of the research project chapters were made by the authors, which include:

• DrVelaphiMsimang,MISTRAFacultyHeadoftheKnowledgeEconomyandScientific Advancement (KESA)

• DrFatimaFerrazfromFADOConsulting• RadhikaPerrot,SeniorResearcherintheKnowledgeEconomyandScientific

Advancement (KESA) Faculty• MrAdrianStonefromtheUCTEnergyResearchCentre• AyenderMakhuvela,KESAAssistantResearcher

Key experts and stakeholders who attended included: the chairperson of the parliamentary committee on Energy, Mr Sisa Njikelana; Kleantha Pillay from Anglo American; Kerry Bryans from Umicore; and Swazi Twala from the Department of Mineral Resources.


External ConferencesMISTRA staff have made presentations at a number of conferences and seminars. Below are some examples:

First Lecture in the Pixley ka Isaka Seme Annual Lecture Series by Joel Netshitenzhe at the Institute for African Studies at Columbia University

In October 2013, MISTRA Executive Director, Joel Netshitenzhe, presented the First Lecture in the Pixley ka Isaka Seme Annual Lecture Series at Columbia University in New York on 29 October 2013.

Hosted jointly by the South African Consulate General and the Institute of African Studies at Columbia, the title of the lecture was: The Vision of Seme 107 Years On: Is Civilization Still a Dream and is the Regeneration of Africa Possible?

Founded in 1959, the Institute of African Studies (IAS) is Columbia University’s central forum and resource for African-centred academic research, programme development, curriculum administration, student advisement, and local, national, and international dialogue and action. Pixley ka Isaka Seme was one of the very first African graduates of Columbia University at the end of the nineteenth century, and later was instrumental in the creation of the African National Congress.

MISTRA Senior Researcher, Radhika Perrot, attends AfricaLics Innovation Workshop in Maputo, Mozambique

Globelics is a worldwide and diverse community of scholars working on innovation and competence building in the context of economic development. AfricaLics is one of the regional chapters of Globelics, and was created with funding from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency. The AfricaLics network of scholars currently represents Algeria, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, and Tanzania. The AfricaLics network is intended to become a strong dynamo for capacity building in the field of innovation and economic development, both at the individual, institutional, and country levels. This is expected to allow African countries to design policies suitable and responsive to their own needs, and instigate corrective measures to ensure the smooth production, dissemination, and use of knowledge for economic development, including poverty alleviation.

Radhika Perrot of MISTRA was selected as project leader for the Low Carbon Innovation Research Network team, comprising nine research team members from across Africa working on innovation, and clean and renewable energy. Scholars who contributed to the low carbon innovation theme were representatives from countries such as Kenya, South Africa, Sweden, India, and Denmark. The team is currently

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working on a research proposal for a seed grant to further develop and conceptualise their research on ‘Innovation for Energy Access in Africa: Drivers, Models and Outcomes.’

MISTRA Executive Director addresses the Pan-African Parliament

In May 2013, MISTRA Executive Director, Joel Netshitenzhe, made a presentation entitled Towards Agenda 2063: A Pan-African Renaissance in the next 50 years? to the Pan-African Parliament.

Towards Agenda 2063: A Pan-African Renaissance in the next 50 years? has been published on www.mistra.org.za

The presentation was also published in the May 2013 issue of The Thinker magazine.

MISTRA researcher Catherine Kannemeyer presents paper at The South Africa-Netherlands Rresearch Programme on Alternatives in Development (SANPAD) Conference on Sustainable Livelihoods

In July 2013, Catherine Kannemeyer, MISTRA researcher in the Faculty of Political Economy, presented a paper at SANPAD’s Conference on Sustainable Livelihoods.


OPERATIONS

Consultancy ServicesDuring the period under review, the consultancy services function was formalised through the employment of the Head of Consultancy Services. The appointment of the Head of Consultancy Services ensures that the approach to commissioned research and consultancies is centralised and consistent. The key responsibilities of the Consultancy Services function are to:

• takeoverallresponsibilityforbusinessdevelopment,research,marketing,networking, and contract management;

• preparehigh-qualityproposalsinresponsetorelevantcallsforproposals;• developagrowingandeffectiveprofessionalmarketingstrategyforrelevant

services; • continuouslyidentifynewandrelevantopportunities;• leadandmanageteam/sofresearchersassignedtoproject/s;• executeandcompleteassignedprojectswithinthetime,scope,andbudget

negotiated with the client; and• evaluateexistingsystemsandproceduresmakingrecommendationsfor

improvement.

During the 2013/14 period the following consultancies were successfully undertaken by MISTRA:

Sasol – Resource Nationalism

Sasol appointed MISTRA to undertake a study to gain further insight on Resource Nationalism by probing:

• theconceptofresource/economicnationalismandhowitdiffersfromnationalisation;

• thevariouswayssuchnationalismmanifestsitselforiscarriedout,includingconceptualisation of the role of the private sector; and

• possibleresponsesofprivatecapital,andSasolinparticulartothisdynamic.

Five regions are currently being studied, namely: Africa, the Americas, Asia; Europe, and the Middle East. The study will not only determine regional trends, but also probe specific countries within each region. Four to six countries will receive detailed attention within each region.

Sasol – High Level Strategic Engagements

Sasol identified various areas to which their business can add value and embed the National Development Plan (NDP) as a lasting vision for all South Africans. Sasol

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studied the NDP extensively and found clear NDP imperatives that link with Sasol’s future business strategy. Going forward, they plan to increase their commitment to beneficiation in South Africa, and especially in the regions in which they operate. To achieve this, Sasol requested that MISTRA assist in facilitating engagements with relevant government departments to develop a shared vision.

Gauteng Department of Community Safety – Gauteng Policing

The department commissioned MISTRA to provide an analytical assessment of the extent to which Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) are effective in addressing challenges of crime, police misconduct, community-police relations, and resource allocation in Gauteng province. This was one of MISTRA’s first consultancies.

The Ministerial Special Project on the Future of the Humanities and Social Sciences (MSPFHSS) – Converting Heritage Sites into Learning Centres

The Ministerial Special Project on the Future of the Humanities and Social Sciences (MSPFHSS) identified a project on converting Heritage Sites into Centres of Knowledge as one of its catalytic projects. MISTRA was selected, along with the Universities of Venda and Limpopo, to lead the feasibility study for this project. The feasibility study seeks to identify the conceptual approach, the methodology, as well as the processes that should inform a full-scale research on this theme, leading to the policy and programmatic desired intervention. The Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape and Richtersveld Cultural and Botanical Landscape were chosen as the case studies for this project and preliminary research findings will be presented in April 2014.

Resource Watch / Open Society – African Mining Vision

The study, undertaken jointly by Resource Watch and MISTRA, tracks the implementation of the African Union’s Mining Vision 2050. Specifically, it examines measures that have been introduced by the various African countries towards realising the Vision. The study is a collaborative exercise, including research institutions and scholars drawn from four countries: South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is envisaged that the project will be completed in November 2014.

The Department of Performance Monitoring and Evaluation in The Presidency – 20-Year Review Project

During the reporting period, MISTRA was appointed as the peer reviewer for the 21 thematic papers produced by the Department of Performance Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME) and the National Planning Commission (NPC) to ensure quality and strengthen scientific rigour of each paper. MISTRA utilised both in-house


expertise and also drew on MISTRA networks across different fields of work. In addition to this, a single overall report was produced, drawing out issues, suggestions and common observations pertaining to several thematic areas and the overall peer reviewing experience.

The Department of Performance Monitoring and Evaluation in The Presidency – National Evaluation Policy Framework

During the reporting period, MISTRA was appointed as peer reviewer for the impact/implementation evaluation of Government Co-ordination Systems. The purpose of the evaluation was to assess the performance of co-ordination systems in government, both technical and ministerial, and to see how to strengthen their effectiveness.

The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) – Technologies Study

MISTRA is collaborating with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in the documentation of a set of case studies on selected CSIR technologies. The project is also aimed at analysing the case studies to identify key trends and factors that have impacted upon CSIR technology transfer as a resource to guide future best practice.

Government Pensions Administration Agency & Government Employees Pension Fund – Workshop Facilitation

In July 2014, MISTRA was asked to facilitate the Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF) workshop and also the Government Pensions Administration Agency (GPAA) lekgotla, respectively.

Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) – Scenarios Planning & Strategic Planning

The CCMA is providing a platform for creative discussion on the future of the labour market. This will go a long way towards contributing to looking at the many challenges labour, government, and business are facing. The uncertain future of how these three parties will relate to each other in the future lends itself to a scenarios exercise, and MISTRA was requested to facilitate CCMA reflections on this process.

National Union of Mineworkers – Organisational Renewal

MISTRA was appointed to conduct an eight-month-long study that will inform the organisational renewal of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM). The overall aim of the study is not only to identify the exact nature of the problems, but also, based on the findings, to make recommendations that will enable NUM to undertake a process of renewal.

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Mining – an increasing focus of MISTRA research

MISTRA has undertaken research and made presentations in various fora such as the Mining Lekgotla on various aspects of the mining industry, including the notion of resource nationalism, lessons from the Marikana tragedy and the long-term future of the industry. MISTRA also assisted in facilitating discussions between the Chamber of Mines and the Department of Mineral Resources on amendments to the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA). On the basis of this experience, MISTRA is building dedicated capacity to study the political economy of mining, in partnership with other institutions.

Communications and OutreachCommunications and Outreach have continued to be a key focus in the current reporting period. MISTRA has maintained a level of public visibility through a range of media interventions across both print and electronic media.

MISTRA researchers produce regular columns and articles in major publications, and are regularly called upon for comment on a range of newsworthy issues.

During the reporting period, MISTRA issued 10 Monthly Briefings to an audience of over 2,000 individuals. MISTRA’s Monthly Briefings aim to inform MISTRA’s partners about the Institute’s research, strategic reflections, published papers, and other news relating to the network of people and organisations committed to MISTRA’s strategic engagement with the issues facing South Africa.

During the reporting period, MISTRA also made considerable progress in creating and maintaining a presence on social networking platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.

PartnershipsA key element of the Institute’s approach to its research work is to play the role of facilitator of intellectual and experiential expertise on the issues it researches. For this reason the establishment of partnerships with a wide range of institutions and individuals is key to the success of the Institute.

During the year further contact was developed with universities in South Africa, as well as a range of research institutions, public and private sector entities, and individuals. Some contact was also made with a number of embassies and international research institutes.


NetworkingThe Institute has identified networking as a key plank of its communications and outreach strategy. Networking activities have included participation in, and attendance at, a range of conferences, workshops, seminars, and other events of the public, private, and civil society sectors domestically and internationally by members of the Board, management, and staff of the Institute. These events serve as an opportunity both to contribute to discourse on issues of interest to MISTRA, as well as to extend the Institute’s network of intellectual collaborators, research partners, clients, and funders.

MISTRA places a high premium on the networking opportunities that we are exposed to. This has provided an opportunity for MISTRA to share ideas, make presentations, learn from, critique, and influence developments on critical issues facing society nationally and globally.

There has been an exponential growth in the number of events MISTRA staff have been invited to attend, or have presented at, including:

• Academy of Science of SA (ASSAF) at a symposium on Green Technologies: drivers, barriers and gatekeepers

• African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD) in a panel discussion entitled ‘Celebrating Mandela’s Legacy’

• Afro-Middle East Centre in an international conference entitled ‘In whose interests? Exploring Middle East involvement in Africa’

• African Leadership Initiative (ALI) – Third Aspen Global Leadership Network seminar – ‘Leading in an Era of Globalization’

• C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group –Reception for the Mayors Summit hosted by City of Johannesburg Mayor, Parks Tau

• Carnegie 3 Think Tank, University of Cape Town• Club de Madrid & John Kufuor Foundation Symposium in Accra, Ghana Columbia University, New York City – the Inaugural Pixley ka Isaka Seme Annual

Lecture Series: ‘The Vision of Seme 107 years on’ by MISTRA Executive Director• Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA)

– South African Women in Dialogue in an event: Civil society partnership with government to eradicate poverty and reduce inequality

• Department of Science and Technology – African multilateral co-operation panel discussion workshop on ‘Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa 2024’; a seminar entitled ‘Wise: on Strengthening Skills in Mathematics, Science&Technology’;andaWorldBankworkshopentitled‘StrengtheningthePartnership on Innovation and Knowledge Management’

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• Department of Trade and Industry in a workshop on Fuel Cells Technology• Electoral Commission in an e-voting seminar• Equal Education in a solidarity visit to schools in the Eastern Cape• Ford Foundation – symposium entitled ‘Realising the Dream: the Promise of South

Africa’• French Embassy–preparatorydiscussionsfortheElyseeSummitforPeace&

Security in Africa• Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung and Fort Hare University on the launch of the FES/Fort

HareAutumnSchoolonDemocracy&PoliticalEconomywebsite• Goethe Institute workshop on Global Economy• Government Communication Information System (GCIS) – contribution of a

chapter on ‘20 Years of the South African Media Landscape’ by GCIS• Inaugural Presidential Youth Indaba on Jobs and Skills• India Institute of Management at the 6th All India Conference of China Studies

(AICSS): Reforms, management and social transformation• Kathrada Foundation – facilitation of the discussion series on ‘Democracy +20’• Mining Lekgotla entitled ‘A purposeful mining compass’ organised by the

Chamber of Mines, the National Union of Mineworkers and the Department of Mineral Resources

• Ministerial Special Project on the Future of the Humanities and Social Science – participated

• National Education Collaboration Trust – launch of the Trust at the Presidential Guest House, Pretoria

• National Science & Technology Forum–invitationtoattendthe43rdPlenary&AGM

• Nedlac House – Roundtable discussion on ‘The Eurozone Crisis – Lessons for Africa and the Brics Nations’

• Office of the Premier, Eastern Cape – breakfast seminar on ‘Employment Relations Management Strategy’

• Oxfam in a policy dialogue on ‘A Developmental State to Address the Injustice of Inequality’

• Pan-African Parliament (POP) in a debate on Pan-Africanism and African Renaissance

• Pan-African Parliament Committee on Transport, Industry, Energy, Communication Science & Technology and the SA National Parliament Portfolio Committee on Energy at their joint workshop on ‘Improvement on the Energy Industry in Africa for Sustainable Development – the Role of Parliaments’

• Photovoltaic Production Facility – invitation to the opening in Technopark, Stellenbosch


• Roundtable on ‘The Likely Impact of Carbon Tax on Energy Supply• SA-Netherlands Research Programme on Alternatives in Development

(SANPAD) at a conference on ‘Sustainable Livelihoods’• Science, Technology & Innovation Summit in Limpopo• Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC)-Africa

Nanotechnology Working Group – presentation by Dr Phenny Mwaanga of the University of Zambia and Chairperson of the SETAC-Africa Nanotechnology Working Group on ‘Nanotechnology and the Aquatic Environment: the African Approach’

• South African Embassy in Washington DC, USA at a seminar: ‘African Solutions to African Problems in a Globalised World’

• South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) presentation on the Middle East

• South African Jewish Board of Deputies at their 47th Biennial National Conference

• Studies in Poverty & Inequality Institute (SPII)–attheStudiesinPoverty&Inequality Roundtable.

• Systems Analysis Colloquium themed ‘Holistic Approach to Nation and Global Challenges’

• The China Center for Contemporary World Studies, Beijing at a dialogue entitled: ‘The Contemporary World Multilateral 2013’

• UN Institute for Economic Development & Planning (UNIDEP) at a panel on ‘The Planning Imperative in Africa’s Structural Transformation’

• United Nations University – World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER) at a conference in Helsinki entitled: ‘Inclusive Growth in Africa: Measurements, Causes and Consequences’

• University of Fort Hare Autumn School of Democracy & Political Economy in a debate: ‘Life Under the Constitution as a Rainbow Nation: Is There Any Place for Black Consciousness Today?’

• World Bank and National Treasury – seminar on the World Development Report 2014: ‘Risk and Opportunities – Managing Risk for Development’

• Young Presidents Organisation/World Presidents Organisation at which MISTRA Executive Director made a presentation on the ‘Political and Economic Scenario for SA 2014’

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WebsiteDuring the reporting period, MISTRA’s website was redesigned and launched in December 2013. The new site has been developed to provide a better user experience and to provide easier access to MISTRA’s core areas of activities: Research, Strategic Reflections, Publications and Media. These areas are now clearly identified on our home page. Visitors to our site can also now browse through these sections using dropdown menus that identify our Approach to Research, Current Research, Forthcoming Research, and Research Archive.

Our new site also includes a facility to Sign up for our Newsletter and also to Support Us in our work. Under our Research section we now have a new Keep me Posted feature that allows visitors to register their interest in specific research projects and be notified of any upcoming events or research activities related to the research project. The Keep me Posted feature is also available on our Strategic Reflections page and applies to MISTRA’s lectures, skaftins, workshops, and other events.

Our new library section provides access to the various publications produced by MISTRA, such as publications (occasional publications), reports (research and annual reports) and conference papers, while our media section includes articles (by MISTRA staff ), In the Media, speeches (presented by MISTRA staff ), newsletters (MISTRA’S Monthly Briefings), videos and podcasts, and a picture gallery.

MISTRA’s site has continued to provide updates on the progress being made on the Institute’s eight priority research projects and remains the storing house for all articles, papers, and press releases produced by the Institute and its staff.

During the reporting period, just over 1,400 visitors have viewed the MISTRA site monthly. The dip in visits (as compared to the previous reporting period) should be read in the context of the period during which the site was under construction and was in the process of being moved from one server to another. During this period the site received over 60 000 page views with visitors downloading papers, articles, and executive summaries of MISTRA reports. Seventy-five per cent of visitors to MISTRA’s site are located in South Africa, followed by the following countries in order of number of visits: United States, United Kingdom, India, Germany, Netherlands, France, Canada, and China.

MediaDuring the reporting period, MISTRA’s staff published extensively in various major publications and newspapers on topical, and project-related issues. MISTRA’s Annual


Lecture presented by Professor Mahmood Mamdani, the occasional lecture by Professor Francis Fukuyama, and MISTRA’s joint launch of the African Transformation Report with the African Center for Economic Transformation (ACET), are just some of MISTRA’s strategic reflections that received extensive print and electronic media coverage.

In addition, the Institute’s activities around its core project work, such as the launch of its reports on Poverty and Patronage and The Transformation of the State, also received publicity in major publications and on radio and television.

During the reporting period MISTRA’s research, strategic reflections and events with partners received coverage in the following media:

• BRICSPost• BusinessDay• BusinessDayLive(online)• CityPress• CNBCAfrica• EngineeringNews• FinancialMail

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• JennyCrwys-WilliamsonTalkRadio702• MailandGuardian• PowerFM• SciDev• TheChronicle(Ghana)• TheNewAge• TheSocialistCorrespondent• TheSowetan• TheStar• TheSundayIndependent• TheTimesLive

Partnerships and Joint ConferencesResearch Paper: Why Inequality Matters: South African Trends and Interventions

In September 2013 MISTRA Executive Director, Joel Netshitenzhe presented a paper entitled: WhyInequalityMatters:SouthAfricanTrendsandInterventions at a Conference of the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) on Inequalities and Justice: Influences, Effects, Intersections and Evidence. The paper also formed the basis of presentations at a dialogue of the Concerned Africans Forum (CAF).

Conference on African State Formation and Bureaucracy in Comparative Perspective

In September 2013, MISTRA, the Public Affairs Research Institute (PARI), and the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) hosted a conference on African State Formation and Bureaucracy in Comparative Perspective.

The scholarship on state formation has argued strongly for the significance of bureaucratic structures in the development and creation of functional states. This conference examined state formation through the lens of bureaucracy. Focusing primarily on Africa, it posed the question ‘what is the relationship between bureaucracies and state formation’ from a number of angles, and sought to develop comparative perspectives on the issue.

The two-day conference was inaugurated with a panel discussion on ‘Why governments work: Why the public service matters’. The discussion comprised a panel of African and Asian scholars and thought leaders brought together to share their views and experiences on the fortunes of post-independence governments to explore the topic: ‘Why have some states succeeded more than others?’


Panelists included:

• Joel Netshitenzhe, Executive Director (MISTRA)• Eghosa Osaghae, Professor of Comparative Politics and Vice-Chancellor at

Igbinedion University• Eun-Jeung Lee, Professor at the Institute of Korean Studies at the Freie Universitat,

Berlin• Ketso Gordhan, Former City Manager of Joburg and Advisor in the Presidency.

Currently CEO of Pretoria Portland Cement (PPC)• Chairperson,Ferial Haffajee, Editor of City Press

Dialogues: Poverty, patronage, inequality with Mcebisi Ndletyana and Somadoda Fikeni

In February 2013, Faculty Head: Political Economy, Dr Mcebisi Ndletyana, and Dr Somadoda Fikeni (an independent researcher) addressed delegates at the Dispatch Dialogues hosted by the Daily Dispatch newspaper and the University of Fort Hare at the East London Guild Theatre.

The talk was based on the research report published in November 2013 by MISTRA titled Patronage Politics Divides Us: A Study of Poverty, Patronage and Inequality in South Africa.

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HUMAN RESOURCES

MISTRA is guided by its Human Resources Policy, which includes a Performance Management&DevelopmentSystem,aswellasaprobationaryperiod.

MISTRA is committed to promoting the development and growth of young researchers and other professionals and the Institute has developed an internship programme as an important part of this commitment.

This is an opportunity to provide young graduates with a relevant three-year qualification with an opportunity to receive on-the-job experience at MISTRA.

At any given time, MISTRA has five graduate interns in the following fields: Humanity, KnowledgeEconomy&ScientificAdvancement,PoliticalEconomy,Communications,and Resource Mobilisation.

During this reporting period, MISTRA hosted a visiting scholar, Alexandra Davis, from the University of Delaware in the USA. Funded by the Plastino Scholarship from her university, Alexandra spent eight weeks in South Africa conducting research on small enterprise development in South Africa and its connection to economic growth.

Recruitment&staffingPosts on the establishment & staffing plan

MISTRA started functioning in April 2010 with a staff complement of four and by the end of December 2011 there were 18 members of staff. By the end of the financial year, February 2014, MISTRA had 28 posts on its establishment/organogram, of which one was vacant. This includes the five interns. A decision was taken during the 2012 strategic planning process that MISTRA will consolidate its establishment and will not make any new appointments, except where those are critical to the successful operations of the Institute.

Staff members at 28 February 2014

The breakdown of the staff complement by function is as follows:

Function Current [2013]

No. %

Core Business 18 66.6%

Support 9 33.4%

Total: 27 100%

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Equity

In terms of representivity, MISTRA has a staff complement that is 96.3% black, and 59.2% are females.

African Coloured Indian White Total

Women 10 4 1 1 16

Men 10 0 1 0 11

Total 20 4 2 1 27

Office AccommodationThe Institute took occupation of its offices in Woodmead, Johannesburg in May 2010. The offices were provided as an in-kind donation by one of MISTRA’s core founding donors – the Simeka Group – initially for one year until May 2011, but this was extended in early 2011 by another year to May 2012. Expenditure on the offices is reflected as expenditure in the Institute’s financial statements and offset as an in-kind donation. Renovations were conducted during December 2012 to customise the space to MISTRA’s requirements, including the acquisition of offices on one of the wings on the ground floor. A significant portion of the Institute’s office furniture was provided as an in-kind donation and most of the rest was purchased second-hand.


FINANCE

The Institute has received unqualified audit reports since its formation. This is testament to the sound financial procedures and systems that have been put in place. The Institute’s auditors have continued to identify areas of improvement (in management letters) thus ensuring the highest level of accountability for resources at our disposal.

As the Institute grows, there is an increasing awareness to ensure that financial systems and procedures are regularly reviewed. In this regard, the Audit and Risk Committee has provided critical support and oversight. Further, management, through its regular weekly meetings, has ensured that expenditure is monitored, and where necessary, cost containment measures are implemented.

Information and Communications TechnologyIn its early stages the Institute agreed that it would not be able to afford to develop in-house ICT capacity. An external ICT service provider was contracted to provide ICT infrastructure including laptops, desktops, printers, networking, software and other services.

The Institute continues to utilise the external ICT service producer who maintains the intranet, the document management and meetings management system on the SharePoint platform.

Strategic PlanningMISTRA had a thorough review of its operations and the general direction of its research. On the basis of that a new strategic plan was drawn for the period 1 March 2014 to 28 February 2017. The highlights of this plan are the following:

Key ChallengesAfter a thorough assessment of MISTRA’s work, its management and staff identified the following as the main challenges that need to be addressed:

• EnsuringthataMISTRApersonaemerges• LeveragingMISTRA’scredibilitytoadvanceitswork• Securityoffunding• Enhancingourcapacity• Improvingourorganisationalenvironment• Improvingmanagementoffacultiesandprojects• Improvingimage,brandingandpositioning

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• Prioritisationofwork• Mainstreaminggenderissues

Strategic ApproachFor the period 2014 to 2017, MISTRA shall continue to consolidate the scope of its work and the size of its personnel. This will entail deepening the capacities of our staff and extending our network of researchers, while applying our competencies to new areas of research. Our consolidated size and research agenda shall shape the institutional linkages we enter into and will necessitate the intensification of resource mobilisation efforts.

Strategic Priority 1: Implement the Priority and Commissioned Research Projects

Approach: MISTRA shall continue contributing to deepening society’s understanding of the key challenges facing South Africa through its judicious identification and execution of core research projects and in its careful choice of commissioned research while challenging the prevailing discourse.

Strategic Priority 2: Enhance MISTRA’s organisational capacity, processes and environment

Approach: MISTRA aims to build a reputable, vibrant, transdisciplinary institute that becomes a sought after employer of choice, with dynamic leaders and staff who are multi-skilled, well-rounded and leading researchers and professionals.

Strategic Priority 3: Enhancing Research Capacity

Approach: MISTRA shall consolidate its research capacity by identifying niche areas for value addition and ensuring the development of its full-time staff, continuing with its internship programme, as well as expanding and managing its external network better.

Strategic Priority 4: Consolidation and expansion of linkages

Approach: MISTRA will seek to make an impact nationally, on the African continent, and rest of the world through the quality of its work and collaborating with well-placed institutions.

Strategic Priority 5: Improve branding, imaging and dissemination of our work

Approach: The MISTRA brand will be aligned with its core values, while its communication shall serve to strengthen its image of a professional, transdisciplinary,


and thought-provoking think tank producing research that is relevant to the challenges facing South Africa, Africa, and the global political economy.

Strategic Priority 6: Intensify resource mobilisation

Approach: MISTRA shall continue its resource mobilisation efforts through seeking shareholding/endowments, generic contributions, project sponsorship, consultancies, and enterprise development.

Public Benefit Organisation statusMISTRA has been accorded the status of a Public Benefit Organisation by SARS, and this allows it to issue Section 18A certificates to enable contributors to claim the requisite tax benefit.

Resource MobilisationWe reported income in excess of R10 million for the founding 2010/2011 financial year-end, over R16 million for the 2011/2012 financial year-end and over R22 million for the 2012/2013 financial year-end. In the 2013/2014 financial year we have reported an income in excess of R21 million: the reduction in income can be attributed to the tough economic times.

MISTRA has entered into a consolidation phase that will continue for the next two years. In the consolidation phase, line item increases have, and will, continue to be only for critical resources required to maintain and improve the Institutes’s functioning and carrying out its core research programmes.

MISTRA continues to implement the nine-pillar resource mobilisation strategy as agreed on by the Board and Management.

Recognition of Contributors During the year under review MISTRA received contributions from the following donors, in alphabetical order.

• ABSA*• ACSA• AfricanBank• AngloAmerican*• AngloPlatinum*• AspenPharmacare

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• BathoBathoTrust*• Brimstone• DeBeersConsolidatedMinesLtd• Discovery• ImpalaPlatinum• LibertyLife• MMIGroup• Multichoice• MvelaphandaManagementServices*• Nedbank*• SABLtd*• SafikaHoldings• ShandukaGroup*• SimekaGroup*• StandardBank*• Yellowwoods*

Local Foundations• GraduateSchoolofDevelopmentPolicyandPractice(GSDPP)attheUniversityof

Cape Town• NationalLotteriesBoard• NECSA• SouthAfricanPostOffice• TisoFoundation• TokyoSexwaleFoundation• TransnetFoundation*• Wiphold

International Foundations• ChineseEmbassy• Freidrich-Ebert-StiftungSouthAfrica• OlofPalmeInternationalCenter

Individuals• DrJean-MarieJulienne• CyrilRamaphosa• PeterVundla

* Contributed R500 000 or more


Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection (MISTRA)

(Registration number 2010/002262/08)Annual Financial Statements for the year ended 28 February 2014

General Information

Country of incorporation and domicile South Africa

Nature of business and principal activities Research

Registered office First Floor Cypress Place North Woodmead Business Park 142 Western Service Road Woodmead, Johannesburg 2191

Postal address PostNet Suite 586 Private Bag X29 Gallo Manor 2052

Auditors Nyamezela Incorporated Chartered Accountants (S.A.) Registered Auditor

Company Secretary Ilva Mackay Langa

Company registration number 2010/002262/08

Mapungubwe Institute (MISTRA)[ANon-ProfitCompany][104-474-Npo]RegistrationNumber2010/002262/08[“TheInstitute”]

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

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Annual Financial Statements for the year ended 28 February 2014

The reports and statements set out below comprise the annual financial statements presented to the board of directors:

Index Page Audit and Risk Committee Report 88Directors’ Responsibilities and Approval 89

Independent Auditors’ Report 90

Directors’ Report 91

Statement of Financial Position 93

Statement of Comprehensive Income 94

Statement of Changes in Equity 95

Statement of Cash Flows 96

Accounting Policies 97

Notes to the Annual Financial Statements 99

The following supplementary information does not form part of the annual financial statements and is unaudited:

Statement of Financial Performance 102

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The supplementary information presented does not form part of the annual financial statements and is unaudited:



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The supplementary information presented does not form part of the annual financial statements and is unaudited:



MAPUNGUBWE INSTITUTE FOR STRATEGIC REFLECTION (MISTRA)

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Physical address: First floor, Cypress Place North, Woodmead Business Park, 142 Western Service Road, Woodmead, Johannesburg, 2191

Postal Address: PostNet Suite 586, Private Bag X29, Gallo Manor, Johannesburg, 2052

Tel: +2711 518 0260 Fax: +2711 518 0266 Email: [email protected] Web: www.mistra.org.za

Mapungubwe Institute (MISTRA) • [A Non-Profit Company][104-474-Npo] • Registration Number 2010/002262/08 [“The Institute”]

Annual Report 2013 |14

annual report 2013 - mistra · decline of the mapungubwe ‘civilisation’, transdisciplinarity,...

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