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Tess Peacock, Rosette Sifa Vuninga, Nontsikelelo Dlulani, and Enhle Mpungose reflect on the challenges facing South Africa and possible solutions

South Africa is 29 years into a democracy, underpinned by a constitution often lauded as one of the best in the world. 

Nevertheless, challenges remain. A recent report by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime (Gitoc), published in September 2022, notes:

"Our assessment of 15 illicit markets traces how organized crime has flourished in South Africa and highlights its profound social, economic and political harms. Violence – always present in society – has become embedded in the evolving criminal economy; depredation of the natural environment and critical infrastructure has run rampant; and entrenched gangs and extortion networks have sought to establish criminalized forms of governance that operate beyond the remit of the state monopoly. Its victims can be found across the social spectrum, but invariably South Africa's poorest citizens have suffered the most."

Between 14 and 19 May 2022, during the first in-person program of the Global Innovations on Youth Violence, Safety & Justice initiative, Salzburg Global asked Tess Peacock, Nontsikelelo Dlulani, Enhle Mpungose, and Rosette Sifa Vuninga for their thoughts on how the country can look at forging a new way forward in the context of justice and inclusion.

Tess Peacock

Director, Equality Collective, South Africa

Equality Collective is based in a remote part of the Eastern Cape, South Africa, and aims to work with community groups across the poorest municipalities in the Eastern Cape to build a rural justice network fighting for ukulingana nokulingana ngoku ("Real Equality Now!"). Tess is a trained lawyer.

"There have been strides of improvement in the livelihoods of millions of people over the past 28 years. I think our biggest challenge as we move into the next decade of democracy is we need to have a serious reckoning with accountability. There's no accountability [in] our system, and there [are] no consequences for people who are supposed to be public servants but don't serve the people... If we don't improve methods of accountability, we're not going to improve trust in the justice system. We're not going to improve inclusion and have a sense that people believe in the justice system in South Africa. While we might have an independent judiciary, that doesn't mean anything to people who are waiting eight years for their cases, and it doesn't lend itself to building trust with [the] police.

"I want to make one point about active citizenry. South Africa is often characterized as having an active citizenry, and I think that's actually not true. I think we have an active citizenry in certain parts of South Africa, but I think in most of South Africa, particularly in our rural areas and our rural provinces, we don't have an active citizenry. Our communities don't show up to public participation meetings at [the] local government level. They're not participating. In those processes, I think we actually really have to work hard to build an active citizenry across the country that helps contribute to building a culture of accountability. We know that we have a major challenge in relation to youth in South Africa, youth unemployment and lack of opportunities. I think people just don't know what to do.

Rosette Sifa Vuninga

Part-time lecturer/Ph.D. fellow, University of the Western Cape, South Africa/Congo

Rosette's research is in the field of "migrating violence." It explores issues related to the politics of identity and belonging in ways in which Congolese negotiate their socioeconomic integration in South Africa. She has spent the last 17 years in South Africa.

“I tend to compare [it] to Congo, and there are things South Africans complain are not working, but for me, the first reflex is to appreciate the system they have compared to ours. Nevertheless, especially in black townships in South Africa, there are so many complaints, especially with regard to service delivery and also to the justice system. One of the biggest things tied to that in South Africa is the land issue and the question of resources being distributed more equally. I think these are things that will only change with time. 

“In South Africa, they complain about immigrants a lot – African immigrants – because they accuse them of stealing their jobs. In reality, they are exploited as cheap labor; you always hear and see about the xenophobia. You can also still see the legacy of apartheid moving through different areas across the country; it is still clear what areas are designated for what races.”

Nontsikelelo Dlulani

Head of Organizing in the Western Cape, Equal Education, South Africa

Nontsikelelo (Ntsiki) is a black woman activist and fighter for socioeconomic justice for the marginalized, and a member of the Khayelitsha Community Action Network, a black community network in Cape Town

“I think it's sort of like accountability to say you need to implement policies which are progressive in terms of black and white. But in the implementation, it's a total different story. Some of these policies are needing to be revisited to speak to the issues that are currently faced by people. And I mean, there is still a long way to go. In terms of accountability, I don't always think that there isn't effort from community members, but there's more no effort from [the] top down, from the government, it's like they don't care about rural places. 

"I think right now, as young people, we are a frustrated generation. We don't know what to do; there's no accessibility, [and] there's so much inequality that still exists. There's poverty [and this] is playing a big part in everything that is happening. But at the same time, we can look at how this has presented an opportunity to maybe conscientize people better about the issues that are currently happening and think about how we can build a better future. 

Enhle Mpungose

Formerly Project Coordinator, Johannesburg Holocaust and Genocide Centre, South Africa

Enhle is passionate about human rights and was responsible for educating visitors at the Johannesburg Holocaust and Genocide Centre 

“Most of the youth [are] running out of patience. There's no patience anymore within the community generally, and people aren't interested anymore. People have given up. There's no sense of hope that something will change. There's no more togetherness. It's every man for himself. So as a young person, am I optimistic about South Africa's future? Unfortunately, no. Nobody listens to us. Nobody's trying to understand where we want to go. It's quite scary with the mental health situation because we're connected with all these gadgets, and we can see what other kids can have and [what] people have access to. The inequality is so stark. Then, to get this, you can tell that from a black person in South Africa, it would either take crime or maybe a miracle. 

“They don't feel the need to participate because where has that gotten the previous generation? So I think there's a bit of a sense that a lot of people have given up. The government itself doesn't put South Africans first.”