Beneficial Technologies projects and work done by the team
Case Study booklet Putting People in People’s Parliament: Scaling up inclusive participation in South African Legislatures to enhance democratic oversight (PPiPP)
| Project thumbnail | Bentec provided a write up of the project ‘Putting People in People’s Parliament: Scaling up inclusive participation in South African Legislatures to enhance democratic oversight’ (PPiPP) as a case study to test methods for increasing public access to and engagement with legislatures for social justice. |
| Partner/client | Dullah Omar Institute, University of the Western Cape (UWC) |
| Bentec lead | Dr. Femke Brandt |
| Bentec team | Ronald Wesso, Sithandiwe Yeni |
| Bentec role | Document analysis and writing a popular booklet, online survey, stakeholder interviews. Collaborating with the 5 project partners: Dullah Omar Institute, University of the Western Cape (DOI) (coordinator); Heinrich Boell Foundation Southern Africa (HBF); Parliamentary Monitoring Group (PMG); Public Service Accountability Monitor, RU (PSAM); and Public and Environmental Economic Research Centre, UJ (PEERC) |
| Time period | August – November 2021 |
| Outcome | Case Study report: A Wedge in Parliaments Door: Putting the ‘People’ in People’s Parliament and guidelines for Civil Society Organisations and legislatures. |
International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF): Union Building along the Silk Road
| Project thumbnail | Bentec provided research-based knowledge to the ITF to have a better understanding of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and its impact on transport workers and trade unions. The report present findings on Chinese investments in 6 case-study countries; Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Kenya, Thailand and Austria. |
| Partner/client | The International Transport Workers’ Federation |
| Bentec lead | Ronald Wesso |
| Bentec team | Leonard Gentle, Dr. Femke Brandt |
| Bentec role | Context analysis and writing, desktop research, online survey, stakeholder interviews. Recommendations on strategic considerations for union building. |
| Time period | August – October 2021 |
| Outcome | Research report The Belt and Road Initiative: what are the implications for workers and unions? |
Urgent Action Fund Africa (UAF-A): Water justice for African women
| Project thumbnail | Bentec provided Urgent Action Fund Africa with research-based knowledge on water justice struggles in Africa to inform a yearlong water justice campaign across the continent. |
| Partner/client | Urgent Action Fund Africa (UAF-A) |
| Bentec lead | Sithandiwe Yeni |
| Bentec team | Dr. Koni Benson, Dr. Femke Brandt |
| Bentec role | Providing a feminist analysis of water struggles in Africa, writing, desktop research, stakeholder interviews. |
| Time period | February – April 2021 |
| Outcome | Research report Womn and Water in Africa: an overview of Water Justice Struggles and concept note for fundraising to facilitate the implementation of the campaign on water justice for African women. The report is available online here. |
Tekano Atlantic Fellows for Health Equity in South Africa
| Project thumbnail | Bentec provided Tekano and the wider Atlantic Fellows community with research-based knowledge on the impact of Covid-19 on health equity in South Africa. Drawing on the research report, Bentec engaged the Tekano staff and board members on strategic considerations around the fellowship’s mandate and programme. |
| Partner/client | Tekano Atlantic Fellows for Health Equity in South Africa (AFHESA) |
| Bentec lead | Ronald Wesso |
| Bentec team | Dr. Anthea Lesch, Sithandiwe Yeni, Nerisha Baldevu, Dr. Femke Brandt |
| Bentec role | Context analysis and writing, desktop research, online survey, stakeholder interviews. Recommendations on strategic considerations. |
| Time period | July – October 2020 |
| Outcome | Research report, presentation to Tekano staff and Board members, fellowship curriculum recommendations. |
Evaluation of the Eastern Cape Agricultural Economic Transformation Strategy
| Project thumbnail | The provincial government of the Eastern Cape contracted a research team to evaluate the outcomes of their strategies to transform agriculture. The government had a particular focus on creating opportunities for black people and women to become commercial farmers. |
| Partner/client | Eastern Cape Office of the Premier; Fort Hare Institute for Social and Economic Research |
| Bentec lead | Femke Brandt |
| Bentec role | General research, policy analysis. Specific focus on gender dynamics. Research presentation and policy recommendations. |
| Time period | March – November 2019 |
| Outcome | Report presentation to the Premier and members of the provincial executive. |
Research into water justice in South Africa
| Project thumbnail | Writing a report of three Water Justice Roundtables that brought more than forty organisations together to develop a people’s plan for water justice. |
| Partner/client | Blue Planet Project, Council of Canadians |
| Bentec lead | Ronald Wesso |
| Bentec role | Research and writing |
| Time period | February – June 2020 |
| Outcome | Report |
Training in verbal communication and public speaking for business and economics students
| Project thumbnail | Providing a six week comprehensive course of in-person and on-line training in public speaking and verbal communication to business and economics graduate students. |
| Partner/client | SUN Academy, University of Amsterdam |
| Bentec lead | Femke Brandt |
| Bentec role | Trainer |
| Time period | On-going |
| Outcome | Students develop skills for personal and professional communication. |
Documenting ten years of the Right to Agrarian Reform for Food Sovereignty Campaign
| Project thumbnail | Writing a booklet documenting the struggles and campaigns of the Food Sovereignty Campaign. The booklet covered a ten year period from 2008 and a range of issues from land struggles, policy intervention, popular education, feminism and agro-ecology. |
| Partner/client | Surplus People Project; Food Sovereignty Campaign |
| Bentec lead | Ronald Wesso |
| Bentec role | Research and writing |
| Time period | January – May 2020 |
| Outcome | Published booklet: Ten years of the Right to Agrarian Reform for Food Sovereignty Campaign |
Researching resistance and organising strategies of farm and labour broker workers
| Project thumbnail | A long term, in-depth anthropological study of farm workers in rural areas and labour broker workers in urban areas. The study has a specific focus on the agency of workers as they cope with farm conversions to game farming, the externalisation and fragmentation of labour, securitisation of the workplace, hyper-patriarchy and the distancing of the mainstream trade unions from them. |
| Partner/client | Vrije Universiteit; Centre for African Studies, UCT; University of Johannesburg; various academic journals; Brill Publishers |
| Bentec lead | Femke Brandt |
| Bentec role | Research and writing |
| Time period | 2006 – on-going |
| Outcome | Phd thesis; various journal articles; book chapters; an edited book |
Deepening knowledge regarding the funders and drivers behind extractive industries
| Project thumbnail | Research into extractives industries in Honduras, Zimbabwe and Indonesia to inform and enable greater leverage for women human rights defenders. Developing publicity materials and popular education drawn from the research. |
| Partner/client | Count Me In! Consortium |
| Bentec lead | Ronald Wesso |
| Bentec role | Popular education design consultant |
| Time period | May – September 2020 |
| Outcome | In progress |