Research and Advocacy Unit

Please note that the Research and Advocacy Unit (RAU) undertakes operational projects and accepts only solicited proposals. If you require more information about the RAU kindly contact Senior Researcher Ichumile Gqada, Ichumile@osfsa.org.za.

The Research and Advocacy Unit is an operational unit within OSF-SA that was established in June 2014. The Research and Advocacy Unit seeks to complement the grant-making activities of our partner programmes within OSF-SA and enhance other work being undertaken by South African civil society organisations as well as initiate new projects. As part of OSF-SA’s 2014 – 2017 strategy, the unit will focus on two research areas:

1. Scaling up Social Auditing in South Africa
Social auditing provides a credible methodology and critical leverage for local under resourced communities to improve the quality and efficiency of service delivery of basic services and serves as an important tool for accountability, particularly at a local government level.

The unit seeks to:

• Support the development of a South African social auditing framework and methodology
• Provide opportunities for capacity building and sharing of social auditing methodology and experience
• Support organisations that initiate and promote community-led social audits that focus on public and private entities, through research and other form of support
• Initiate and support advocacy training and monitoring in order to improve the growing effectiveness of social auditing accountability and advocacy

2. Promoting extractive sector transparency and accountability

Recognising the importance of sound natural resource governance both in South Africa and the continent, OSF-SA believes that strategic intervention can enhance accountability and transparency in South Africa’s extractive sector.

The unit seeks to:

• Commission and support research on improved licensing transparency, fiscal reform, shareholder responsibility, illicit financial flows, transfer pricing, revenue disclosure through stock listings and optimising the benefits of natural resource extraction for local communities
• Initiate and support community-led monitoring and accountability initiatives in affected communities.
• Support the use of mechanisms and legal instruments to achieve transparency, accountability and environmental compliance in the mining sector
• Support engagement and discussions on legal and health related reforms in the mining sector, with a particular focus on promoting stakeholder involvement and transparency
• Convene and participate in workshops, roundtables and conferences that accommodate different perspectives and promote in-depth understanding of factors that influence the growth of the extractive sector

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