Cape Town - The country’s high levels of poverty and unemployment are a breach of the constitutional promise of social justice and an improved quality of life and freed potential of all, according to the chair in social justice at Stellenbosch University, advocate Thuli Madonsela.
Madonsela, a former public protector, held the second annual social justice summit on Wednesday.
“The breach of a promise is a breach of trust, and with trust gone, our hard-earned democracy and vision of sustainable economic growth and well-being rest on shaky waters,” she said.
The summit will highlight the M-Fund initiative, also known as the Musa plan for social justice, which revolves around the mobilisation of resources that can be directed towards impact-investment in education and socio-economic inclusion initiatives in wards across the country.
Madonsela said: “We are calling on retail outlets to become part of our project, which will then give ordinary South Africans the easy avenue to leave behind R5 every time they do their shopping.
“Every R5 that someone leaves behind will go into the pool of funds which we hope will ultimately grow into a massive financial boost for education and ward-based socio-economic inclusion initiatives.”
This year’s summit, which starts online at 8.45am, is being held under the theme, All hands on deck to leave no one behind in the post Covid-19 recovery agenda.
Speakers on topics such as data analytics, poverty mapping, access to justice and climate change include Stellenbosch University vice-chancellor Wim de Villiers, Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola, Business Leadership SA chief executive Busisiwe Mavuso, Solidarity Fund chairperson Gloria Serobe and Archbishop of Cape Town Thabo Makgoba.
Meanwhile, Tuesday saw the launch of the two-day Independent Philanthropy Association of SA virtual symposium, which will see 100 South African funders discuss and debate the future of funding in an unprecedented, disruptive climate.
Cape Argus