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This week — International rally for peace in Ukraine, Teen Suicide Prevention Week and talk on social cost of State Capture

This week — International rally for peace in Ukraine, Teen Suicide Prevention Week and talk on social cost of State Capture
Tamsin Metelerkamp
By Tamsin Metelerkamp
13 Feb 2023
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The Stop the War Coalition is hosting an online international rally to make the call for peace in Ukraine; Teen Suicide Prevention Week in South Africa is raising awareness around teenage mental health; and Open Secrets is holding an online discussion about ‘The Social Cost of State Capture’.

Monday, 13 February, is World Radio Day. 

For the 2023 observance, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) highlights the importance of independent radio as a pillar for conflict prevention and peacebuilding.

“In reporting and informing the general public, radio stations shape public opinion and frame a narrative that can influence domestic and international situations and decision-making processes,” according to the United Nations (UN) information page on the event.

“Increasing radio’s journalistic standards and capacity should be considered as an investment in peace.”



Monday is the second day of Teen Suicide Prevention Week, which runs from 12 to 19 February this year.

The observance takes place in South Africa annually and is an opportunity to focus on adolescent and youth mental health, as well as raise awareness around teen depression and suicide.

In South Africa, 9% of all teenage deaths are due to suicide, according to a Western Cape government press release from May 2022. This number is increasing.

“There’s currently a global increase in teenage depression, anxiety and suicide. Caregivers of adolescents must be aware of what to look out for and where to get help,” according to the release.

“All threats or attempts to commit suicide should be taken seriously. In 75% of all suicides, the person gave some warning or made their intention known to a loved one.”

Some ways in which you can help someone who is suicidal include:


  • Being a willing and active listener;

  • Asking what is troubling them if you notice behavioural changes or warning signs;

  • Letting them know that you care and understand, and that they are not alone;

  • Taking them to their nearest clinic and staying with them until help is available, if there is an immediate danger of suicide; and

  • Calling the emergency numbers if the above options aren’t available.


Those needing help can contact the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag) suicide crisis helpline on 080 056 7567.

More resources on teen suicide prevention can be found here.

On Monday, 13 February, at 9pm, Stop the War Coalition is hosting an online international rally to make the call for peace in Ukraine.

“As part of our campaigning ahead of the one-year anniversary of the war in Ukraine, we are hosting an Online International Rally for Peace,” according to the event description.

“Ever since Russia invaded Ukraine almost 12 months ago, [the Stop the War Coalition] have been making the case that the only real solution to the war lies in a ceasefire and a negotiated settlement.”

Speakers at the rally will include Tariq Ali, writer and activist; Clare Daly, member of the European Parliament; Rafaella Bolini of the Associazione Ricreativa e Culturale Italiana; Lindsey German of Stop the War; and Kate Hudson of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.

Register here.





On Wednesday, 15 February, at 6pm, Open Secrets is hosting an online discussion about “The Social Cost of State Capture”.

South Africa is facing a strained fiscus, rolling blackouts, austerity measures and hollowed-out institutions. The effects of state capture are immense.

“State Capture has left very few aspects of public life untouched, from public rail to education, the health sector, defence industry, freight rail, law enforcement and our state revenue services,” according to the event description.

“The social damage caused by State Capture should give urgency to our demand for accountability. We must do more to hold the powerful to account for the damage they have done.”

Open Secrets’ Zen Mathe will be in conversation with Moira Campbell of Corruption Watch and Devi Pillay of the Public Affairs Research Institute. The speakers will be exploring how South Africans can address the social costs of state captures and seek restitution for the damage caused.

Register here.







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On Wednesday at 7pm, Sadag is hosting a webinar on “Bullying and Teen Suicide”. 

Speakers include Dr Terri Henderson, a psychiatrist, and Nkateko Ndala-Magoro, counselling a psychologist.

The event forms part of Sadag’s programme for Teen Suicide Prevention Week.

The event will be livestreamed on Sadag’s Facebook page.

On Thursday, 16 February, at 11am, the New South Institute (NSI) is launching the report, Personalising and De-Personalising Power, at the Pepperclub Hotel, corner of Loop and Pepper Street, Cape Town.

“The Cabinet has approved a framework for professionalising the public service,” according to the event description.

“The NSI has done some of this for him. In Personalising and De-Personalising Power, the New South Institute has reviewed how legislation pertaining to selection criteria for senior officials can be improved. The report will be launched with a presentation by its authors.”

For more information, contact the NSI at [email protected] or 072 411 4056.

Register here.

On Thursday at 12.30pm, the Dullah Omar Institute and the South African Research Chair in Multilevel Government, Law and Development are hosting a seminar on “National development planning, local government and the rights of special groups in Uganda”.

The seminar will be presented by Professor Christopher Mbazira — former dean of the Faculty of Law at Makerere University in Uganda — in Seminar Room 1 at the Faculty of Law, University of the Western Cape.

“Uganda was the first country on the continent to entrench local government in its 1995 Constitution. Professor Mbazira will discuss the intersection between national development planning, local government and the rights of special groups,” according to the event description.

“Mbazira has written and spoken widely on the subject of socioeconomic rights in the context of the judicial application of these rights, as well as public interest litigation.”

For more information, contact Laura Wellen, project administrator for multilevel government and the South African Research Chairs Initiative at the Dullah Omar Institute, on [email protected].



On Thursday at 6pm, Daily Maverick is hosting a webinar on “Ethiopia: Filling the Gaps in the Peace Process”. The event is dedicated to “expressing Pan-African solidarity with the people of Ethiopia in a spirit of peace and reconciliation”, according to the event description.

On 2 November, a Cessation of Hostilities Agreement was signed between Ethiopia’s federal government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front in South Africa. The agreement came after a two-year war that killed an estimated 600,000 civilians and internally displaced 2.7 million people.

“The agreement, obtained under the auspices of the African Union, raised the prospect for peace in Ethiopia but is marred by serious gaps,” stated the event description.

“​​​​​​​Join us for a discussion that will serve as a reminder that Africans the world over are engaged and concerned about the devastating conflicts in Ethiopia, the home of the African Union.”

Mark Heywood, editor of Maverick Citizen, will engage with Shuvai Busuman Nyoni, executive director of the African Leadership Centre, and Dismas Nkunda, CEO of Atrocities Watch Africa, as part of a conversation that will be a “spur and contribution” to the debates about Ethiopia at the African Union Summit from 18 to 19 February in Addis Ababa. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Register here.



On Thursday at 7pm, Sadag is hosting a Twitter space with an expert panel, discussing the topic, “Why are our teens in crisis?”

The event forms part of Sadag’s programme for Teen Suicide Prevention Week.

Find Sadag’s Twitter page here.



On Friday, 17 February, at 8am, the first day of the my.voice Youth Advocacy Festival will kick off at the University of Pretoria. The event is being hosted by the university, Engage South Africa and partners.

The Youth Advocacy Festival will run until Saturday, 18 February. It provides an “engaging platform for high school learners, youth leaders, civil society organisations and educational institutions to strengthen leadership and advocacy skills, share best practice, network and get inspired”, according to the event description.

“Join us for an innovative mix of workshops, dialogues, skills exchange activities and information stalls that will inspire you to take the next step on your leadership journey,” state the organisers.



On Friday at 12pm, the University of Witwatersrand and the SA-UK Chair in Political Theory are hosting a talk on “Plebeian Futures: Imagining Alternative Societies from Below”. 

The talk will be presented by Camila Vergara, the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow from the University of Cambridge. The event will take place in the Humanities Graduate Centre at Braamfontein Campus, Wits University.

Register here.



On Friday at 1pm, Sadag is hosting a discussion on “How to help your teen in crisis”.

Speakers at the event include Zamo Mbele, a clinical psychologist and Sadag board deputy chairperson, and Maxine Grimett, acounselling psychologist.

The event forms part of Sadag’s programme for Teen Suicide Prevention Week. It will be livestreamed on Sadag’s Facebook page. DM/MC

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