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Since the birth of majority rule in 1994, IRI has partnered with the South African Institute of Race Relations (SAIRR), a non-profit research and policy organization.  Through the Free Society Project, IRI has supported SAIRR’s analysis and watchdog efforts which have served to ensure that basic democratic freedoms remain at the forefront of public debate.

Download Summary (PDF)
Since the birth of majority rule in 1994, IRI has partnered with the South African Institute of Race Relations (SAIRR), a non-profit research and policy organization.  Through the Free Society Project, IRI has supported SAIRR’s analysis and watchdog efforts which have served to ensure that basic democratic freedoms remain at the forefront of public debate.

One of SAIRR’s primary initiatives is the Free Society Project, which was launched following the 1994 elections to strengthen South African democracy.  Regardless of which party is in power, SAIRR remains one of the few organizations that has served as a watchdog and, where appropriate, alert the public to executive and legislative actions that violate fundamental civil liberties or erode democracy and economic freedom.   Since the project was launched, it has monitored developments within the country, analyzed new policies and laws, advocated against measures that could undermine a free and open society, and suggested alternatives more consistent with a vision of a free South Africa within a prosperous and economically integrated sub-continent.  

Through monthly and annual publications, regular contributions in the South African media, and briefings for groups in both the public and private sector, SAIRR’s Free Society Project provides measured analysis of government policy and current affairs.  By offering data and views on political and economic developments, SAIRR and the Free Society Project stimulate debate policy in both the South African and foreign media, on the floor of Parliament, and in the halls of government ministries.