Ruth First's research an anti-graft lesson

The 'activist research' approach by the renowned journalist and academic was one of rigorous inquiry with political purpose

- Ruth Kolevsohn

Ruth First's life and work remain a powerful reminder that research, when combined with political purpose and moral clarity, can become a weapon for justice.

Her research approach evolved from her fearless work as an investigative journalist exposing injustice, and her academic studies examined grassroots conditions in Namibia and Mozambique, combining on-the-ground inquiry with critical analysis to inform transformative action.

First's intellectual activism was never detached from the realities of those at the margins. It was rooted in rigorous evidence, focused on the lived experience and directed towards influencing policy and practice. More than 40 years after her assassination by the apartheid government, her methodology offers vital lessons for confronting one of South Africa's most corrosive contemporary crises — systemic corruption. Her approach has recently been described as "activist research" by Saleem Badat and Vasu Reddy, authors of a new edited volume called Research and Activism: Ruth First and Activist Research.

Today's anti-corruption landscape is paradoxical. South Africa has a strong constitutional framework, independent oversight bodies and a vocal civil society. Yet corruption scandals in procurement, public enterprises and political party funding continue to erode public trust, drain resources and entrench inequality.

Even the most exhaustive inquiries, such as the Zondo commission on state capture, undertaken at great public cost, ring hollow when they do not result in prosecutions for high-profile, politically connected people; and there are no credible consequences for wrongdoing. The task for anti-corruption advocates is not simply to expose wrongdoing, but to mobilise evidence, ideas and communities in ways that shift both political will and public consciousness toward integrity. This is where First's research ethos can serve as a guide.