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Programme Director and Chairperson of the National Planning Commission's Active Citizenry, Capable State, Strong Leadership workstream, Dr Pulane Molokwane, Deputy Chairperson of the National Planning Commission and Co-Chairperson of the National Dialogue Eminent Persons Group, Professor Tinyiko Maluleke, Chairperson of the National Planning Commission's Social Cohesion Task Team, Commissioner Abba Omar, Distinguished Commissioners of the National Planning Commission, Ms Nompendulo Mkhatshwa, Member of the National Dialogue Eminent Persons Group, Ms Xolelwa Kashe-Katiya, Project Lead at the Indlulamithi Scenarios Project, Esteemed panellists and facilitators, Partners in research, academia, civil society, and the private sector, Officials from the National Planning Commission Secretariat and the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Distinguished guests, Good Morning! I am honoured to deliver opening remarks at the National Planning Commission (NPC) Social Cohesion Roundtable, on behalf Minister Maropene Ramokgopa, the Minister in the Presidency for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation and Chairperson of the NPC. The Minister has had to attend to an urgent matter this morning. Over the recent years, the NPC has demonstrated genuine commitment to our collective responsibility in shaping the narrative on social cohesion and nation-building. This Roundtable takes place in a significant year for our nation, as we mark the 30th anniversary of the adoption and signing of the South African Constitution. Our Constitution emphasises healing the divisions of the past, fostering national unity, and strengthening social cohesion in building our nation. It is therefore fitting we are commemorating Human Rights Month under the theme, “A Legacy of Courage: Protecting Rights, Preserving Humanity." Ladies and Gentlemen, Given our history, all of us as South Africans have come from varying and unique ethnic, religious, and socio-economic backgrounds, which makes nation-building an imperative for our society if we are to act as a collective. In this regard, our society is largely 'disjointed' with multiple backgrounds, ethnicities and circumstances, making it all the more important to promote social cohesion and nation-building as a unifying force for national development and unity in diversity. Today, we gather not just as concerned citizens, but as custodians of social cohesion and nation-building, and equally, as architects of social cohesion beyond 2030. Our theme entitled “Going Back to Basics" could not be more timely given the need to address the fundamental societal contradictions which create obstacles to achieving social cohesion. Chapter 15 of the National Development Plan (NDP) Vision 2030 addresses social cohesion and nation building, which sets out the target to achieve a society where opportunity is not determined by race or birthright, and where citizens accept that they have both rights and responsibilities. Most importantly, it seeks a united, prosperous, non-racial, non-sexist, and democratic South Africa. Programme Director, The two-day event that we are starting today is based on this previous work undertaken by the current Commission over the past few years. I am encouraged that the invited participants include those with deeply differing views so that we can have the difficult conversations needed. I believe that this roundtable will emerge with an outline of a strategy that can be implemented across all sectors, as well as feed into the National Dialogue process. This strategic framework should also have an agreed set of indicators by which progress on social cohesion can be measured. Based on this, we believe that it is important that the roundtable explores the following critical issues which are the basics we need to consider in addressing social cohesion: - Colonial conquest, land dispossession, economic impoverishment, and exclusion from citizenship of Africans.
- The resistance to different waves of conquest, dispossession, and deprivation of rights that took the form of assertion of African agency, both as the majority as well as on the basis of basic human rights.
When we look at the contemporary manifestations of the lack of social cohesion, the following issues are critical: - The land question, such as ownership, citizenship, political identity, heritage, a sense of belonging and social disparities. These pillars cannot be fully understood within a paradigm of land as a commodity only.
- The trauma of apartheid as people faced the worst excesses of colonialism, be it as migrant labourers, or women constrained to rural areas, and facing everyday experiences of repression and exploitation.
- The role of traditional leaders, which has seen a range of legal cases and debates around legislation in the past few years. These cases capture the elements that typify relationships in South Africa's communal areas.
- The language question remains important and relevant, notwithstanding the various provisions of the Constitution, which are meant to safeguard the use of all official languages, such as the establishment of the Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB), and the various measures introduced in education, such as the BELA Act.
- We must talk about gendered power relations, as women suffer a particularly heavy burden of exploitation in the workplace and in the domestic space. From rural cooperatives to resistance movements, Black women have long innovated forms of cohesion grounded in care, resistance, and resourcefulness.
- We must consider how young people continue to be socially excluded in post-apartheid South Africa, despite policies aimed at dealing with this exclusion. Structural impediments continue to shape the experience of youth as well as their prospects for the future.
As we embark on the discussions over the next two days, we must be mindful that we are not the first. There have been many policy proposals, in-depth research, surveys, and assessments that have preceded these discussions. It is important, therefore, that we begin to analyse the contemporary challenges as well. Ladies and Gentlemen, There is the challenge of the combined Triple 'R', namely: Reconciliation, Resistance, and Resentment. This means confronting the resistance of privileged elements of South African society (especially whites, and especially males) to the changes meant to provide redress for the ills of the past. It also means dealing with the resentment of black people that there has been insufficient addressing of the injustices that have been suffered. A big part of the triple R conundrum is the reality that the inequality between the black/coloured majority and the white/Indian minorities has been widening. This is reflected in the stark realities of systemic unemployment and poverty that continue to threaten the fabric of society and diminish the possibility of social cohesion. Racial and ethnic experiences differ depending on geographical location as well as economic categories. The Inclusive Society Institute report that measures the well-being of society reflects the extent to which we need to consider provincial specifics when looking at the challenges to social cohesion and developing strategies. We should also question how religion can be a source of social cohesion, rather than a source of intolerance that promotes divisions. Violence in all forms needs to be addressed, be it racial, xenophobic, against the young or the elderly, against LGBTQ+ individuals and communities, physical or verbal, online or face-to-face. On the topic of trauma, including that of the pre-1994 past, there is also what is referred to as the current trauma of dashed hopes. This includes a lack or limited service delivery; corruption in society, especially in the state; and the crisis of leadership in all facets of society. Many of these have been cited as the causal factors for continued and violent protests against symbols of the state, most graphically displayed by the July 2021 uprisings. An important question must be about how we support the youth of our country so that they do not lose hope. This will require linking policy responses to the structural and social environments in which young people live, and to the multifaceted ways in which they face deprivation and exclusion.
Programme Director, A Roundtable discussion of this sort will inevitably produce a series of solutions and strategies. When addressing these, let us be as creative as possible, while at the same time, adhering to the theme of these two days by going back to the fundamentals. Furthermore, let us work hard to reduce inequality, increase employment, reduce poverty and hunger, as well as improve service delivery. The various constraints in South Africa's political economy require a long-term view to be taken as far as progress on that front is concerned. The question that must be resolved is whether social cohesion can be pursued in the current context. We also need to enhance the use of our national symbols – such as the Constitution, the Coat of Arms, the national anthem, our natural fauna and flora, and our flag – as symbols of strengthening social cohesion. These are meant to be unifying symbols in the same way as our national sporting teams should be. However, the potential of using them for building national identity and social cohesion has not been optimal, and there have been divisions in our society, which have re-emerged.
In conclusion, I want to remind all of us that an active citizenry, quality education, and basic services, as well as safer communities, are key. Greater mobility and social exchange through the Going Back to Basics and the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) Strategy Document should play a vital role in fostering interaction and mutual understanding across the whole of society. Social cohesion in a variety of contexts must be supported through the creation of equal opportunities and resources for the marginalised and polarised groupings in communities. A lack of honest and frank conversations on the state of our social cohesion poses a serious risk, and yet with the right understanding, analysis, and nation-building policies, these risks can be overcome. Effective institutions, the rule of law, good governance and tackling corruption, remain essential for social cohesion to thrive. Trust is the foundation upon which the legitimacy of democratic institutions rests. The low voter turnout, greater numbers of citizens dissociating themselves from traditional democratic processes, violent civil protests and greater political polarisation are undermining the capacity of the state to implement necessary structural transformation policies towards equality. I encourage you to continue the conversations on building a cohesive and safer society to strengthen our collective impact. Challenge each other to higher standards of excellence and never lose sight of the extraordinary privilege to strengthen social cohesion and nation-building in your deliberations. I thank you.
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