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Archbishop Desmond Tutu and other members of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission at the first TRC hearing in East London in 1996. But the process of healing has not yet ended.
INSTITUTE FOR JUSTICE AND RECONCILIATION

What is reconciliation in the South African context?

In 2021, there were 16 different understandings of the concept. At the top of the list is the understanding of reconciliation as forgiveness. This is understandable but…

  • Felicity Harrison
4 min read
Freedom Charter values: Despite the stated foundational principle that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, a member of Operation Dudula chants anti-foreigner slogans during its Soweto revival launch on 27 February 2022. (Phill Magakoe/AFP)
AFROBAROMETER

Work against anti-foreigner sentiment

The government turns a blind eye to the scapegoating of foreigners because they provide a useful foil to its own failings

  • Jaynisha Patel and Mikhail Moosa
6 min read
LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 19: Protesters demonstrate outside 180 The Strand who is hosting some fashion events, holding a banner saying ‘Cancel London Fashion Week’ on February 19, 2022 in London, England. Extinction Rebellion Fashion protesters are demanding that the British Fashion Council cancels London Fashion Week as the fashion industry is heavily reliant on fossil fuels for the production of cheap synthetic textiles. London Fashion Week they say encourages overproduction, overconsumption and a throwaway culture. (Martin Pope/Getty Images)
ACCOUNTABILITY

Cancel culture is the antitheses of reconciliation

The essence of reconciliation and justice are accountability and restoring relationships. Cancel culture emphasises accountability without the possibility of restoration

  • Felicity Harrison
3 min read
Finance minister Enoch Godongwana.(Brenton Geach/Gallo Images via Getty Images)
AFROBAROMETER

Can harsh fiscal trade-offs still improve agency and social cohesion for South Africans?

This year’s budget will be a balancing act, but the treasury needs to prioritise restoring South Africans economic agency

  • Jaynisha Patel
6 min read
Trust deficit: People queue to vote in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, in last year’s election. Negative public attitudes towards voting are borne out of citizens’ distrust and frustration with their representatives, writes Mikhail Moosa. (David Harrison)
AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS

We’ll believe in the ballot box again. Maybe

The number of adults who didn’t vote in the 2019 elections reflects citizens’ disenchantment with their representatives. Perhaps Covid-19 presents government with the chance to…

  • Mikhail Moosa
7 min read
The big divide: The majority of black people still live in impoverished settlements or townships, whereas most white people remain in better suburbs – a legacy of apartheid. (Per-Anders Pettersson/Getty Images)
COUNTRY

White people: Accept the past still matters

A recent survey shows that white South Africans are still in denial about the legacies of our history

  • Mikhail Petersen
5 min read