The roundtable provides a space for discussing civil society responses to the crises in the City of Johannesburg, where we see a practical intervention of civil society in the local government political crisis through participating in elections as political parties. With local government elections set for 2026 debates and trends concerning the participation of CSOs in elections are particularly relevant.
Mazibuko Jara will chair the roundtable discussion between Tessa Dooms, Peter Monethe and Simphiwe Zwane.
Date: 26 March 2026
Time: 1pm – 3pm
To register to join in-person at the PARI offices click here, or to join online click here
Tessa Dooms is an activist, author and broadcaster committed to social justice and building people’s power.
Peter Monethe’s union organisation of workers in the food and banking sectors foregrounded his transition into full-time labour union activism in 2013. Peter is also a community organiser for Abahlali of Freedom Park’s struggle for decent housing, land and services as an informal settlement.
Simphiwe Zwane from Thembelihle, an activist supporting the struggle of the poor committed to social justice and building people’s power.
Mazibuko Jara Executive Director, Zabalaza Pathways Institute.
About the series:
Building on our previous seminar series which offered scholars, researchers and activists a space to share their ongoing work, either by discussing work in progress or presenting upcoming and new publications on the City of Johannesburg, the next series turns the focus to the work and experiences of civil society organisations. As Johannesburg continues to face intersecting crises of governance, service delivery and urban inequality, civil society organisations play a pivotal role in keeping local government accountable – and in promoting innovative ways to respond to urban crisis.
In 2026, civil society organisations will lead the conversation, presenting their experiences, strategies and challenges in navigating urban crisis in Johannesburg. This is particularly important as we move towards local government elections towards the end of the year.
