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SOCIAL JUSTICE

South Africa remains one of the most unequal countries in the world. The post-democratic government has not only failed to address the painful legacy of our past, but has in fact deepened inequality.

Too many South Africans still live without access to quality education, healthcare, basic services and quality housing. The suffering of fellow South Africans can and must not be accepted, and we must urgently remove the barriers to achieving a more just society. We must do so because a society as unequal as ours is unsustainable for all who live in it.

We need to act as one to build, with great urgency, a more just and inclusive society by addressing key challenges:

  • Inequality: our income inequality is the highest in the world, with black, coloured and Indian South Africans and women being at a significant disadvantage. Upward social mobility and accumulation of social capital remain low for black South Africans. Women are more severely affected by unemployment and poverty, and women in South Africa are subjected to the scourge of gender-based violence.
  • Discrimination: discrimination and prejudice based on gender identity, race, sexual preference, disability, nationality and various other characteristics exclude too many individuals from achieving their potential. Only in a society where personal and cultural diversity is tolerated and celebrated can all individuals live a fulfilled life.
  • Healthcare and disability rights: our healthcare is severely underperforming because of fundamental mismanagement of health care facilities. At the same time, more impoverished communities tend to experience more health problems and are thus are more reliant on a failing public health system. Furthermore, persons with disabilities do not receive adequate support to fulfil their potential due to lack of access to the necessary specialised services and support.
  • Lack of effective empowerment systems: our social support systems do not empower vulnerable individuals to become self-sufficient. Indeed, millions of South Africans face enormous hurdles almost from the moment of birth – they lack access to the necessary nutrition for cognitive and other development, lack access to decent sanitation and experience substandard schooling. Inadequate transport infrastructure means that the few economic opportunities that may be available are too expensive to access. This creates a context which dependency on some form of state assistance is almost inevitable.

What We Believe

  • Achieving social justice requires a sustained and proactive programme of action aimed at creating a fair society, in which each citizen can reach their full potential.
  • We must act as one against all forms of discrimination, prejudice and injustice and actively work to build fair, just and inclusive society.
  • Achieving social justice also requires the empowerment of women and girls by establishing gender equality in all spheres of life.
  • We will take action against economic inequality through a pro-poor governance agenda that will ensure that the most vulnerable in our society – the Forgotten People – can live a life of dignity.
  • Interventions aimed at social justice have to be aimed at equality of opportunity, not equality of outcome. In other words, everyone must be empowered to compete on equal footing, but outcomes should be determined by individual capabilities. Social justice can only be achieved by empowering those that have previously been excluded from opportunity and by removing barriers that prohibit the equal exercise of rights and privileges. Social justice must be aimed at the inclusion of underrepresented groups and not at the exclusion of other groups.
  • Land reform must be accelerated, and land must be redistributed in a fair, predictable and legally sound manner. We stand against Expropriation Without Compensation and amending the Constitution. Land reform can be achieved within the existing legislative framework; we just need the political will and competent leadership to execute its provisions.

Our Solutions Blueprint

  • Improve the quality of our education system to unlock upward social mobility.
  • Repeal and replace current black economic empowerment and employment equity regulatory framework to shift the focus from equality of outcomes to equality of opportunity.
  • Treat the jobs crisis as a national emergency and maximise economic opportunities for the millions of South Africans who are jobless and/or have given up hope of finding work.
  • Utilise preferential procurement mechanisms to empower SMMEs and not to further enrich business that previously benefited from procurement.
  • Incentivise business to diversify, provide career guidance, mentorship and bursaries and other training opportunities through the use of tax and other incentives.
  • Aid any individual whose circumstances have prevented them from fulfilling their potential, regardless of race or gender, through programmes aimed at reducing barriers for people with special needs.
  • Promote the principle of non-sexism and pro-actively fight all forms of discrimination on the basis of gender.
  • Support a comprehensive strategy for eliminating gender-based violence.
  • Introduce targeted tax incentives to promote the empowerment of women and the representation of women in positions of influence.
  • Partner with the private sector to introduce mentorship programmes where successful women can mentor and provide guidance to younger women and assist them in unlocking their potential.
  • Include gender equality training in our education reform programmes to ensure that the equal treatment of women is normalised in boys and men at a young age.
  • Remove VAT on basic feminine hygiene and sanitary products and roll out programmes to ensure that all women and girls have access to free sanitary products, with a particular focus on educational institutions.
  • Improve access to childcare to reduce women’s caretaking responsibilities through public programmes and incentivising employers to provide childcare services.
  • Attempt to overcome gender-bias in scientific research by providing additional funding and incentives to research and development projects aimed at women-specific issues.
  • Overhaul the public health sector to guarantee access to quality healthcare for all South Africans that cannot afford private healthcare.
  • Oppose the nationalisation of healthcare and maintain the right of individuals to make decisions regarding their choice of healthcare provider.
  • Actively work towards reforming the administration of the public health care system to ensure improved working conditions for medical professionals and patient experience.
  • Increase the operating hours of community clinics and introduce mobile clinics to expand the reach of public health services.
  • Remove political managers from the healthcare system to ensure that all public health decisions are made by independent healthcare professionals and is based on the best available scientific evidence.
  • Develop targeted skilled immigration regulations and incentives to address the shortage of medical professionals in South Africa, accompanied by improved funding mechanisms.
  • Pursue the untapped potential for collaboration between the private and public healthcare sectors by introducing targeted interventions and programmes that will allow the private sector to contribute to the improvement of South Africa’s healthcare performance.
  • Provide increased support to individuals that are battling with substance abuse problems, including mental health services.
  • Adopt sign language as one of South Africa’s official languages and roll out programmes to increase the availability of translators and other services aimed at assisting persons with hearing problems.
  • Take active measures to ensure that all official government documents are available in braille.
  • Improve the quality of life for persons with physical and/or mental disabilities by incorporating accessibility and support measures into government legislation and expanding access to specialised support.
  • Implement a comprehensive set of empowerment measures to reduce reliance on social grants, while still making sure that those who need assistance can access assistance.
  • Increase the efficiency of South Africa’s grant payments system and adopt an innovative system that restricts the expenditure of childcare grants to goods and services required for childcare that are linked to crucial development outcomes.
  • Increase access to social workers and mental health professionals in vulnerable communities.
  • Partner with the private sector to expand corporate social responsibility efforts to ensure that large corporations play an active role in addressing South Africa’s societal issues.
  • Partner with private-sector financial institutions to provide incentives to vulnerable communities to develop community-based social entrepreneurship ventures.
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Act as One to build a prosperous, non-racial and secure future for all South Africans.