The Studies in Poverty and Inequality Institute (SPII) was registered in 2006 due to a growing concern about poverty and inequality in South Africa. SPI’s core mission was to understand the nature and causes of poverty and inequality and to contribute to policy solutions. In 2006 South Africa did not have any measurement of poverty like the national poverty lines we have now, which were introduced in part as a response to SPII’s early work. SPII’s first project focused on understanding poverty through a level of knowledge that is deeper than money-metric poverty lines. This led to the development of the highly successful Decent Standard of Living (DSL) project in which SPII collaborated with various partners, including organised labour, civil society, academia, Social Development, StatsSA, National Treasury, and the Presidency.

Social Security Spring Symposium 21 November 2022.

This brief highlights the importance of social protection in climate action.

The policy brief calls for setting of a protection floor through a Universal Basic Income which will protect and ensure vulnerable South Africans do not fall any deeper into poverty and minimize the current inequality gap.

Fact sheet about social security in South Africa.

‘Cape Jazz’ is an important and unique musical style in South African music generally. Because of the high ethnic diversity of the peoples of the Western Cape, improvised music has crept into indigenous musical expressions, thereby offering an array of rhythms, themes, lyrical messages, styles and harmonies. [Please see article and artist lists under Background]