The DGMT Learning Lunch

Roughly 1 in 3 women in South Africa have experienced physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. It’s one of the reasons why gender-based violence (GBV) is classified as a national disaster, meaning government has to fast-track its response and can use extraordinary measures to do it. But the money doesn’t match the mandate. Government remains the biggest funder, yet spending falls short of its own commitments. Corporate funding is substantial but short-term, tied to campaigns or once-off...

Some assumptions are hard to shake, especially when they feel intuitive. Take the idea that economic growth is the primary driver of job creation — an argument that politicians have long made. But data is increasingly telling a different story. Growth can happen without a rise in new jobs, a phenomenon known as “jobless growth”, where the economy produces value — counted as GDP — but employment doesn’t go up. In South Africa, labour force data since 2008 shows that economic growth is decouple...

Teenage years are typically defined by change — moving from being a child to becoming an adult. At the same time, teens are forming a sense of who they are and where they fit in the world. This is important because when they understand themselves, they make better choices and feel confident and connected. This process is often thought of as an entirely personal journey. Instead, teenagers build their sense of who they are — made up of purpose, belonging, self-worth and agency — through the pe...

Although obstetric violence is recognised as a form of gender-based violence in South Africa, it is not explicitly codified in law as a violation. This type of harm takes different forms — from physical abuse to subtle violations of autonomy, dignity and consent. It occurs in labour wards — high-stress environments where life-threatening obstetric emergencies demand intervention — yet the rights and dignity of women in labour are frequently disregarded. Black and working-class women, migrant ...

Stunting is more than a height problem — it’s a sign that something deeper is wrong in society. Despite being an upper-middle-income country, South Africa ranks among 34 countries that make up 90% of the world's stunted children — among them are countries that have been set back by civil unrest and war. In South Africa, nearly three in 10 children under the age of five are too short for their age, because of chronic malnutrition, often beginning in the womb, and made worse by repeated infecti...