Awarded the Ruth First Fellowship for 2014 at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg – Ebrahim Fakir until recently headed the Political Parties and Parliamentary Programme at EISA [2010-2016]. He was formerly Senior Researcher and Analyst at the Centre for Policy Studies in Johannesburg (2003-2009), he worked at the Institute for Democracy in South Africa (IDASA) [1998-2003] at both IDASA’s Pretoria and Cape Town offices and he also worked at the first democratic Parliament of the Republic of South Africa (1996-1998) in the Legilsation amd Oversight Division. Before that, he was junior lecturer in English Literature at the then University of Durban-Westville (1994-1996) and continues to teach as a sessional lecturer in contemporary political economy at the Sustainability Institute at Stellenbosch University. He writes in the popular press as well as academic and policy journals on politics, development, and the state. He is used as a commentator and facilitator by the domestic and international media, business and other organisations. He read for a degree in English Literature at the University of the Witwatersrand; Johannesburg where he was elected on to the Students Representative Council. He was visiting fellow at the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex (2005/2006) and was a Draper Hills Summer Fellow at the Centre for Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law at Stanford University, for 2011.

1. Fakir E and Abdool, S.  “South Africa’s National Minimum Wage: A Total Sell Out? Or Bright Light in a Dark Tunnel?” ASRI Public Policy Short Papers, April 2017, Auwal Socio-Economic Research Institute, Johannesburg.  Paper available for download here.
2. MORE NEEDED

1. “Quo vadis? End of the ANC as we know it”  Ebrahim Fakir & Ivor Sarakinsky, Mail & Guardian, 15 February 2019
2. “To vote or not to vote? (Not a rhetorical question)”, Ebrahim Fakir & Ivor Sarakinsky, Business Day/ Business Live, 27 January 2019
3. “What lies ahead for a state so thoroughly, grubbily captured?”, Ivor Sarakinsky & Ebrahim Fakir, Sunday Times, 27 January 2019
4. “Ramaphosa must choose: SA or the ANC“, Ebrahim Fakir, 8 February 2018, eNCA.com
5.  “Ramaphosa dealing with three centres of power”, Ebrahim Fakir, 12 January 2018, eNCA.com
6. “The Monkey Business of H&M and The Hokey-Pokey of the EFF!”, 16 January 2018, The Daily Vox 
7. “Odds stacked against Cyril’s stimulus offer – the stimulus and SA’s failure at adaptive autonomy”, Ivor Sarakinsky & Ebrahim Fakir, Mail & Guardian, 19 October 2018.
8. “SA’s political parties are a useless bunch”, Ivor Sarakinsky & Ebrahim Fakir, Mail & Guardian, 6 September 2018
9. “Obama:  An Antithesis of Mandela’s Values”, Aayesha Soni & Ebrahim Fakir, Daily Vox, 11 July 2018
10. “Hunger for urban land and township development central to expropriation debate”, Thulani Mpangane & Ebrahim Fakir,News24, 23 March 2018
11. “Why a deal with Zuma could be worse than we imagine”, Ivor Sarakinsky & Ebrahim Fakir, News24, 9 February 2018

1. “The 2019 SA Elections and Beyond.  Youth Politics : (dis)Engaged,  Angry, Agnostic or Apathetic? “27 March 2019, 14.30pm for 15.00pm, Market Theatre Foundation Johannesburg
2. “Reflections on Race and (Re)conciliation Findings from the IJR’s SA Reconciliation Barometer”,  ASRI, IJR & Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, Ahmed Kathrada Room, MANCOSA Campus, 27 June 2018
3. Public Dialogue Examining the State and Quality of Political Debate in South Africa Today, AFESIS-CORPLAN, THE DAILY DISPATCH AND AUWAL SOCIO-ECONOMIC RESEARCH INSTITUTE, Guild Theatre, East London, 7 November 2018
4. “WHAT’S THE PROBLEM WITH PUBLIC DEBATE IN SOUTH AFRICA TODAY?” ASRI in partnership with WITS Journalism, A Focus on the media, and the “Huffington Hoax” in particular. Humanities Graduate Centre Seminar Room, South West Engineering Building, East Campus, Wits University, 24 May 2017
5.  “POLITICAL DEBATE IN SOUTH AFRICA : WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?”, ASRI in partnership with the WITS School of Governance, DG Auditorium, Wits Business School, 2 St David’s Place Parktown, 23 November 2019

1. “On the horizon: politics, policy, governance and the economy 2019” “potential and possibility or paralysis and paranoia?   University of Stellenbosch Business School. Cape Town, 29 January 2019.
2. Presentation to Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, German Technical Co-operation to South Africa – Annual Staff Strategic Planning and Retreat, “ The SA 2019 elections and the Youth” , 01 February 2019, Pretoria.
3. “On the horizon: politics, policy, governance and the economy 2019” “Potential and possibility or paralysis and paranoia? University of Stellenbosch Business School, Sandton. Johannesburg, 7 February 2019. Read more about the event here.
4. “STATE CAPTURE FROM A GOVERNANCE PERSPECTIVE AND ITS IMPACT ON HIGHER EDUCATION”, Tshwane University of Technology Council Workshop,  22 February 2019, Pretoria
5. “2019 Verkiesingsjaar/ 2019 Elections” Rapport Regstreeks, With KykNet, Media 24, North West University and the University of Free State, Bloemfontein, 8 March 2019
6. National Civil Society Leaders Briefing with the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) , East London, 19 March 2019Presentation on “Political and Institutional Context and Societal Landscape” –  Facilitated Civil Society Meeting by “My Vote Counts” with the Electoral Commission of South Africa (Independent Electoral Commission; IEC), 25 January 2018 in Cape Town
7. Presentation on ‘’The role of Councillor’s in running an effective governance & developmental agenda’’, Tshwane Metropolitan Council – Councillors Strategic Breakaway, 19 July 2018
8. Presentation and briefing on South Africa Outlook 2018/ 2019 to European Union Head of Mission , South Africa – 30 January 2018
9. Presentation on “Public Confidence in State Institutions and the changing face of Social Movements: Are Oversight Bodies in South Africa failing the public?”, Gauteng Provincial Legislature, OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE ON THE PREMIER’S OFFICE AND LEGISLATURE (OCPOL), 22-24 March 2018. Johannesburg
10. Presentation on “Parliament and Its oversight role, weak, incompetent or captured ?”, Banking Association of South Africa, 13 April 2018
11. Presentation on South Africa in 2018 and 2019:  “Socio-Economic, Political and Institutional Context”, To the Heinrich Boell Stiftung , Cape Town, 26 January 2018
12. Presentation on “Institutional Profiling and media coverage of Muslims in the wake of the Verulam crimes & its consequences, Issues and Concerns”,  Meeting of the United Ulama Council of South Africa with the Minister of State Security, 13 November 2018
13. Facilitated Meeting: Council of Theologians, Facilitated Community  Meeting on Political Dynamics, Nur Ul Islam Centre,  16 March 2018
14. Presentation to Seminar: “Prospects for a Ramaphosa Presidency”, Centre for Leadership Ethics and Dialogue, Gordon Institute Business Science (GIBS), University of Pretoria, 6 August 2018
15. POLITICAL PARTY CO-OPERATION AND THE BUILDING AND SUSTAINING OF COALITIONS, Challenges Faced and Lessons Learned: A High Level Exchange between South African and German Political Leaders, University of Cape Town, German Embassy and German Political Foundations.7 May 2018
16. Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, Anti-Racism Network South Africa Annual Conference 2018: Pathways to Anti-Racism, politics. 1 November 2018
17. Paper Presentation The Political Economy Seminar, Centre for Leadership Ethics and Dialogue, Gordon Institute Business Science (GIBS), University of Pretoria, 06 November 2018
18. Presentation Foresight Forum; Gordon Institute Business Science (GIBS), University of Pretoria, 22 November 2018  (South Africa’s 2019 National Election), (Structural Problems Impacting Growth), (The Challenges Faced By The Big Political Parties)
19. Looking back to see ahead: Economist Corporate Network, “The Economist”, 29 November 2018
20. Presentation to the European Union Political Counsellors, “Country profile and Risk”, 10 January 2017
21. Political Parties and democratic consolidation in Africa.” To the Pan African Parliament (PAP) and the Council of African Political Parties (CAPPA), PAP Chambers, Midrand, 2 – 3 March 2017
22. Frederich Ebert Stiftung and University of Fort Hare Winter School, Hogsback, Eastern Cape at Fort Hare’s Hunterstoun Centre, 16 and 17 April 2017
23. Social democracy in an African context: Decolonisation and conceptualising the state
24. Social democracy in an African context: Decolonisation and conceptualising the state – the case of South Africa
25. “The ANC policy conference: new direction or more distraction? Institute for Security Studies (ISS), presentation on ANC National conference outcomes, ISS Pretoria, 6 July 2017
26. “Elusive reconciliation at a time of waning trust”, Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (IJR), IJR, Cape Town, 12 December 2017
27. “Political Parties in South Africa: Do they Undermine or Underpin Democracy?”,Konrad Adenauer Stiftung and Human Sciences Research Council, University of Johannesburg, Library, 21 August 2017