Government’s efforts alone will not be enough to advance the cause for social cohesion and nation building as it requires the collective efforts of society.
This is according to the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture Director for Social Cohesion, Dr Abraham Serote, who has identified the business sector, trade unions, faith-based organisations as well as the media industry, as key sectors that can work with government to advance the cause of social cohesion and nation building.
“The plea from government is for these other sectors to embrace the call. We will be engaging some of them through the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) process to finalise the social compact so that this broader project of ensuring that South Africa becomes a socially integrated and inclusive society materialises,” Serote said on Thursday.
He was taking part in a virtual dialogue for Africa Month 2022 celebrations, hosted by the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) in partnership with the Department of Arts and Culture.
The panel discussion took place under the theme: “Advancing Patriotism, Social Cohesion and Citizen’s Rights to Safeguard South Africa and its Institutions”.
The National Strategy on Social Cohesion and Nation Building responds to the ongoing and unfinished national project that began with the transformation of South Africa into a constitutional democracy in 1994 – this being the building of a just society, which upholds and embodies the principles and values of an inclusive, non-racial democracy.
“If social cohesion and nation building is the preoccupation of government alone, therein lies the problem, this goal will remain a pipe dream, it will never be attained. Social cohesion and nation building has to involve all of society because we are a constitutional democracy.
“There are many other key sectors in society that have a role to play, that exercise some form of power and have resources, some even more than government. The problem is that we have not successfully negotiated the social compact between government and key sectors in society so that social cohesion becomes a concern of the entire society,” Serote said.
He said since 1994, social cohesion and nation building have been one of the apex priorities of the successive administrations and remains one the priorities for the sixth administration.
“They are strategic interventions that government has committed to address social cohesion. There are a number of strategic interventions to which a number of government departments have committed to and as the Department of Sport Arts and Culture, we monitor these interventions by entities like the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) and Brand South Africa,” Serote said.
Entrepreneur Pearl Maphumulo said social cohesion requires honest and uncomfortable conversations.
“With Africa80 there’s over 35 countries that are represented by young people and we are having conversations on immigration, the conversations that we have been having are uncomfortable but those are required not just at regional level but at national level as well.
“We also need to be deliberate in co-creating solutions with the various perspectives. Young people also need to know that the contributions they are making matters and that they don’t need a certain title to matter and make their voices heard,” Maphumulo said.
Source: South African Government News Agency