Media briefs

Community involvement should form a major part of the transformation of the criminal justice system, a study conducted by the Women's Development Foundation (WDF) and the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) recommends.

In 1996 almost 70% of Grade12 learners in North West passed the matriculation examination, which places the province third in the country ? the Northern Cape being second and the Western Cape first.

Just over 51% of the Grade 12 learners in the Free State passed the matriculation examination in 1996, rating the province sixth of the nine provinces in the country.

Almost three-quarters (73%) of Grade 12 learners in the Northern Cape passed the matriculation examination in 1996, placing this province's pass rate second in the country and 7% behind the Western Cape.

Only 47% of Grade 12 learners in Mpumalanga passed the matriculation examination in 1996, placing the province eighth and only ahead of the Northern Province, where the matric pass rate was close to 38%.

Only 62% of Grade 12 learners passed the matriculation examination in 1996, placing KwaZulu-Natal fourth best of the nine provinces.

Only 49% of the learners in the Eastern Cape passed the matriculation examination in 1996, placing the province seventh of the nine provinces in the country.

"Government needs a more accurate picture of where people infected with HIV/AIDS are geographically located to be able to bring about an integrated approach towards planning the provision of welfare and health services in South Africa" says Mr Craig Schwabe, Director of the Human Sciences Research Council's (HSRC) GIS Centre.

The Human Sciences Research Council's Programme for Development Research (PRODDER) launched the 8th edition of its South African Development Directory last night (1 December 1998).

The Human Sciences Research Council's (HSRC) offices in Cape Town and Durban are to close on 31 December, the HSRC announced today (27 November 1998).

Since the introduction of the revised road traffic sign system in 1993, the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) has conducted extensive research and investigations in order to prepare a new version of the Theory Test for Learner's Licences.

Only 38% of Grade 12 learners passed the matriculation examination in 1996, the lowest pass rate in the country.

The results of a study on identity documents that the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) conducted on behalf of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) and the Department of Home Affairs in August this year are corroborated by the results of Opinion '99 - the joint poll recently conducted by IDASA, Markinor and the SABC.

More than 80% of Grade 12 learners in the Western Cape passed the matriculation examination in 1996, rating the province first among South Africa's nine.

"One of the most important factors that influence a country's ability to be economically competitive is the quality of the human resources produced by its education and training".

The Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) has announced the names of the four candidates to be considered for the post of its CEO and President. Applications closed on 30 October 1998 and candidates will be interviewed on Wednesday, 25 November 1998.

In reaction to recent media reports on crime and alcohol/drug abuse in which Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is linked to crime and gangsterism in the Western Cape, the Centre for Alcohol/Drug-Related Research of the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) says that alcohol and other drug use is complex and dynamic, and policy makers and service providers ? including researchers ? are cautioned against identifying "root causes".

"The HSRC is undoubtedly beginning to fulfil its enormous potential as a research organisation within the National System of Innovation (NSI), which is already having a significant impact on social change and development in our country", the President's address in the Human Sciences Research Council 1997/98 Annual Report states.

Dr Jan H. Beukes was appointed as the Acting President and Chief Executive Officer of the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) following the expiry of Dr Rolf Stumpf's term of office at the organization on 30 September 1998.

Dr Michael O'Dowd, former Executive Director of Anglo American Corporation of South Africa Limited, has been appointed as Chairman of the HSRC Council with effect from 1 October 1998.

Contrary to expectations, the end of the apartheid era and the advent of democracy did not result in a significant decrease in violence in South Africa.

Residents of Brakpan, Germiston, Pretoria, Randburg, Roodepoort and Vereeniging ran the greatest risk of becoming victims of any type of crime, while those living or working in the Boksburg, Heidelberg, Oberholzer, Vanderbijlpark and Westonaria districts were least at risk.

Gauteng would never be an easy place to govern, and the challenge to governance will only increase, the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) says in a report that has just been published.

The Eastern Cape's share of South Africa's poverty gap (the money needed to alleviate poverty from all poor households to a minimum living level) is more than 24%, making it the province with the highest poverty gap, a Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) report states.

"Compared to South Africa's other provinces, the Western Cape has the best overall access to services, infrastructure and quality of life", says Mr Craig Schwabe, head of the Human Sciences Research Council's Centre for Geographic Information Systems (GIS).

The HSRC wishes to point out that the figures with regard to undocumented immigrants mentioned in a newspaper report in the Sunday press this weekend refer to statistics contained in a research report that was published by the HSRC in 1996.