Fields of activities

The Hanns Seidel Foundation opened its office in South Africa in 1991 to support the peaceful transition of the country towards an all-inclusive, non-racial democratic society. Today, the HSF has offices in Cape Town and Johannesburg. Together with our partner organizations we are committed to the promotion of the fundamental values of the South African Constitution.

We support educational initiatives and research projects and partner with key south African public and civic organisations in order to promote the national dialogue and progress on pressing social, political and developmental issues. Through this work, the Foundation aims to support the sustainable social and economic development of South Africa. An important aspect of the HSF cooperation with South African institutions is also to facilitate an exchange with Government, the Judiciary, the Police and the public in general in order to combat crime and to strengthen violence prevention initiatives.  

The projects of Hanns Seidel Foundation are funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, the Bavarian State Chancellery, and the Federal Foreign Office.

Partnering with the Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Office (CPLO), the Hanns Seidel Foundation is working with a renowned local organization that contributes to shaping social dialogue and discourse in South Africa. The Catholic Parliamentary Liaison office hosts panel discussions, it publishes interviews with eminent South Africans and Briefing papers.

Current political and socio-economic issues are taken up with our partner organizations and discussed in seminars with decision-makers from politics and business, academics, representatives of civil society organizations, and interested citizens. Many of the events receive extensive attention in traditional and social media, and video recordings or podcasts are often made available online.

Follow current activities by reading articles in the News section of this website.

Civics Academy

The Civics Academy of the Hanns Seidel Foundation in South Africa is an online education initiative, which offers video and audio content aiming to inform and to strengthen democratic values and active citizenship. On the Civics Academy website we cover educational topics related to democracy, governance, elections, political parties, the justice system, the Constitution, local government, economics, civil society and human rights.

Civics Academy partners with diverse stakeholders involved in youth education and empowerment initiatives. Since 2015, Civics Academy materials have enjoyed growing popularity. National and provincial government departments, educational organisations, schools, universities, political parties and numerous private users make extensive use of them. Besides promoting the importance of civic education amongst decision-makers, the videos and podcasts also encourage modern forms of teaching.

Together with the Department of Higher Education and Training, Civics Academy has developed the “Lecturers’ Guides”, which assist lecturers at Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Colleges to facilitate fun and interactive classes that promote active citizenship and voter education among their students. We support civic education courses for councillors, and partnered with the Independent Electoral Commission in civic education courses as well. Civics Academy has furthermore supported the development of national and regional networks in the field of civic education.

Follow activities by reading articles in the News section or on our Facebook and Twitter pages or on YouTube.

Bergzicht Training Centre

Since 1992, the Hanns Seidel Foundation supports the Bergzicht Training Centre in Stellenbosch. The primary focus of this non-governmental organisation is the training and job placement of untrained and unemployed women and men from disadvantaged communities in the Western Cape.

By teaching individuals market-related skills and providing them with the tools needed, Bergzicht Training is addressing one of the most pressing problems in South Africa and the area - high unemployment in poor communities.

The HSF is proud to have been part of the Bergzicht Training success story since the very beginning. By equipping students with practical skills through its iPOWER (Self-Empowering) Foundation Programme and the Advanced Programmes  focused on  Child Care, Health and Frail Care, Food Service Assistant and Food and Beverage Service training, as well short courses in Employability and Computer Skills, Bergzicht Training prepares its graduates for the world of work.

To date, Bergzicht Training has trained more than 10 000 people from disadvantaged areas in and around Stellenbosch and the Cape Flats, securing permanent employment for 76% of its students through its in-house Placement Bureau.

Follow activities by reading articles in the News section of this website.

Watch the Bergzicht Training Introduction Video here.

The Justice and Violence Prevention Programme of the Institute of Security Studies (ISS)

Together with one of our key partners on the African continent, the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), we aim at improving human security. At the ISS, we partner with the Justice and Violence Prevention (JVP) program, which provides information, data, research and direct advice to the government and public on crime trends and modern methods of reducing violence and crime. Research reports and articles are published regularly on the website of the ISS.

The "Crime Hub", a free, dedicated, interactive online platform, provides current information, crime statistics and analysis; it represents the most comprehensive resource on this topic in South Africa and is widely used by stakeholders from different sectors. The content includes ongoing mapping of hotspots of crime and public protests as well as  nuanced analysis and graphics of the very high crime statistics. 

Public Seminars as well as media interviews disseminate new insights widely and stimulate the discourse between stakeholders; livestreams and recordings are often available online.

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We have included violence prevention in our work, for instance in a School Safety training project, and we support a focus on service oriented, evidence-based policing.

 

 

At the Hanns Seidel Foundation we strongly believe in a multi-level government system, as it was established in South Africa through the country’s Constitution. Local authorities have a direct influence on the livelihoods of citizens and have an important democratic and developmental role to play. The functioning and accountability of local government structures is crucial for delivering essential services like water, electricity or refuse collection to the communities and to encourage the involvement of the people in creating the future they want.

In cooperation with the School of Public Leadership at Stellenbosch University we therefore facilitate the training and education of municipal managers and councilors, especially in the Bavarian partner province Western Cape. Together with the Dullah Omar Institute at the University of the Western Cape (UWC), we regularly conduct research on the performance and challenges of the local government sphere in South Africa. We have also supported the new annual "African School on Decentralisation" hosted by the Dullah Omar Institute and its international partners for several years.

By examining and evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of existing structures and legislation we aim to make a contribution to the advancement of good governance in South Africa and the region. Current information and analysis are freely available in a dedicated Local Government Bulletin.

You want to learn more about local government in South Africa? You are interested to know what municipal services are and how municipalities are structured? As a citizen it is always good to know what to expect from your municipality and what the role of a municipal councilor is. Enrol for our free 11-module online course on local government in South Africa, developed by our Civics Academy. Find the Civics Academy Local Government Course here, and receive a certificate on completing the course.

Follow activities by reading articles in the News section of this website. 

The African Futures & Innovation Programme (AFI) of the Institute of Security Studies (ISS)

Africa with its 55 countries will remain a continent with great potential and challenges. Structural change has started – as we can see it in many African countries – but much more is required. What needs to be done to unleash Africa's potential in the future, and how will the continent and its countries develop until 2043? These questions lie at the heart of our partnership with the African Futures and Innovation Programme (AFI) at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS). Together with the ISS, we have been publishing well-founded, user friendly reports on the long-term future of African countries and regions, focusing on relevant topics such as demographics, climate change, health, or the strengthening of the manufacturing sector, using the modern modelling platform "International Futures" from the University of Denver. The AFI authors always work in consultation with diverse local stakeholders and other subject matter experts as well.

These high-quality studies provide national governments, decision makers from different sectors and the international community with new facts, insights and policy recommendations. For many countries, the reports can also bring the necessary and much needed African voice into policy planning.

All the studies are now published on a comprehensive, innovative new AFI online platform, African Futures. It offers a unique information and knowledge hub on the development of African countries, regions, and regional economic communities. Apart from the geographic studies, the platform offers long-term forecasts and analysis on about 15 key themes, including Education, Governance, Energy, Climate, and a section on "Africa in the World".