Citizenship Law in Africa describes the often arbitrary, discriminatory, and contradictory citizenship laws that exist from state to state and recommends ways that African countries can bring their citizenship laws in line with international rights norms. The report covers topics such as citizenship by descent, citizenship by naturalization, gender discrimination in citizenship law, dual citizenship, and the right to identity documents and passports.
Welcome
About us
In the year 2000, Francois van Schalkwyk and Ross Frylinck founded Compress. Both left established publishing houses to create a progressive publishing company that would poke sticks at some of the industry's lazy holy cows. Their innovative approaches soon paid off and Compress built up a loyal client base. Ironically, many of these clients were themselves from an unconventional and under-serviced quarter - not-for-profit organisations (NPOs) publishing research reports and books.
In 2006, Compress expanded its NPO-focused service offering to include investor communications for JSE-listed companies. At the beginning of 2007, Compress bought Imagine-BTLS, and formed a new company, Greymatter & Finch. By 2008, Greymatter & Finch had become the largest investor communications company in the Western Cape while continuing to service its loyal NPO clients. At the end of 2008, however, it was decided to split the NPO publishing and the investor communications divisions into two separate companies. And so, COMPRESS.dsl was (re)born.
Drawing on its experience, and driven by the enthusiasm and expertise of its staff, COMPRESS.dsl continues to provide innovative publishing solutions to its clients. These innovations include high-quality, short-run printing; cutting-edge websites and other research-orientated electronic products; and setting up international distribution channels. Holy (and other) cows remain in the sights of the company.
Staff
Francois Van Schalkwyk
Francois completed what he regards to have been two years of invaluable conscription at David Philip Publishers before starting Compress in 2000.
Qualifications: BA (Hons), University of Cape Town; MPhil (Publishing Studies), Stirling
Currently studying: MEd, University of the Western Cape
Currently reading: Did David Hasselhoff End the Cold War?, Emma Hartley; E=mc2, David Bodanis
Currently listening to: Eels - Metric; Okkervil River - The Pains of Being Pure of Heart
Recommended websites: covers.fwis.com; wordcount.org
Simon Chislett, Project Manager
Simon taught English as a foreign language in Italy, Japan and the UK for nine years before coming back to South Africa in 1994 to work in the field of Adult Basic Education and Training. By the turn of the millennium he was working in educational publishing and has been with Compress since 2005. Simon reads at work and works to read! He's a keen absorber of contemporary fiction, science fiction and popular science.
Qualifications: BA in Dramatic Art (Wits), MA in Creative Writing (Bath Spa, UK)
Currently interested in: Consciousness and the novel
Currently reading: The Other Side of Silence, Andre Brink; Q&A, Vikas Swarup; Incandescence, Greg Egan and Proust and the Squid: The Story of Science and the Reading Brain, Maryanne Wolf
Currently listening to: Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago; Abdullah Ibrahim - Senzo
Recommended websites: Seed Magazine's Daily Zeitgeist; Edge; Arts and Letters Daily; The Guardian
Elizabeth Duff, Typesetter & Publishing Assistant
Elizabeth has a stong interest in language and design. After majoring in English at the University of Stellenbosch, she completed the copywriting diploma at the Red and Yellow School of Advertising in Cape Town. It was not long before she joined COMPRESS.dsl team. Qualifications: BA (cum laude), University of Stellenbosch; Diploma in Copywriting, The Red and Yellow School of Advertising
Currently studying: MPhil in Ancient Studies, University of Stellenbosch
Currently reading: Invisible, Paul Auster
Currently listening to: Goldfrapp; Lady Gaga, Fiona Apple, M.I.A
Recommended websites: Smashing Magazine; New York Times book design review; Internet Anagram Server
Mathilda van Niekerk, Project Manager
After graduating from the University of Stellenbosch and a brief stint in wedding co-ordination, Mathilda embarked on a career in investor communications. She joined Graphicor in
2002 before moving to Compress in 2005. In 2006 she relocated to the UK and joined Williams & Phoa, before moving to join Merchant in 2007. Mathilda returned to South Africa in 2009, and rejoined Compress as head of investor communications.
Qualifications: B.Com (University of Stellenbosch)
dsl = decorporatised, self-programmable labour
"Self-programmable labour is labour which has the built-in capacity to generate value through innovation and information, and that has the ability to reconstruct itself throughout the occupational career on the basis of this education and this information. Therefore it is always at the source of the creation of value."
- Manuel Castells in M Castells, J Muller, N Cloete & S Badat (eds) (2001) Challenges of Globalisation: South African Debates with Manuel Castells. Cape Town: Pearson South Africa. p. 13.