Purpose and objectives Daryl Swanepoel | Chief Executive Officer of the Inclusive Society Institute

PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES

DARYL SWANEPOEL | CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF THE INCLUSIVE SOCIETY INSTITUTE

The Inclusive Society Institute has identified social cohesion as a theme that needs critical attention in our country. It recognises that nation-building and reconciliation are vital components that are required to build a cohesive nation capable of providing growth and stability for society as a whole. The institute is concerned with a sense of dissipation of South Africa being the rainbow nation. It shares the view of the African National Congress (as expressed in the 2020 January the 8th Statement and by President Ramaphosa in his 2020 State of the Nation Address) that this national question deserves the urgent attention of South Africa’s policymakers.

With this in mind, the institute has embarked on an extensive programme to analyse the current state of demographic cohesion in the country. It intends to develop a set of proposals that could help guide public policymakers in their promotion of a common South Africanism that works for the nation as whole.

The institute is concerned with the negative narrative promoting racial intolerance and suggestions of alienation amongst certain sectors of the community. It believes that the tendency by some to stereotype communities based on the actions of certain individuals is harming the national project which requires all groups in society to work together as co-builders of the country.

This dialogue on the role and place of the Afrikaans-speaking community, forms part of the institute’s broader social cohesion programme. It seeks to test the attitudes and perceptions of this particular community as to their commitment and sense of belonging. It also aims to direct policymakers to the issues in society that drive a wedge between communities, and which need attention in pursuit of nation-building, reconciliation and the harnessing of all the country’s talents in pursuit of a common future that benefits society as a unit.

This phase of the social cohesion programme entails a series of roundtable discussions with the various minority communities in the country. It is important for policymakers to understand the psyche of these communities. The institute is, however, of the opinion that just as important an issue is the breaking down of the silo-effect and that much more effort is required around inter-community interaction aimed at promoting a better understanding of our fellow South Africans. To this end, the next phase of the programme will focus on these aspects.