Freedom Day under lockdown an opportunity to re-evaluate our self-worth

Picture: David Ritchie/African News Agency (ANA)

Picture: David Ritchie/African News Agency (ANA)

Published Apr 27, 2020

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A core factor that underpinned our resistance against racism, sexism and economic exploitation was the need for the recognition of self-worth. As people who had experienced varying degrees of alienation, relegated to being instruments of servitude at best, ranked below animals at worst, we fought to assert our right to be treated with respect and with dignity. That is why the voter turnout on April 27, 1994, the date of South Africa’s first democratic election, was so high that the number of voting days had to be extended. 

Freedom Day was more than an empowerment of a historically disenfranchised people; it was an acknowledgment of the humanity that resides in each of us; an affirmation that we are all equal; a breakout of the long-suppressed inherent worth as a person. 

Beyond the individual, Freedom Day also represented an opportunity to reconstruct a highly racially and economically fragmented, and patriarchally skewed, South African society. Our legislated apartness created fears based on ignorance in respect of culture as in “swart gevaar” and ideology as in “rooi gevaar”, or fears arising from tangible experiences of brutal apartheid state repression. 

Accordingly, the first decade of democratic governance sought to confront the psychological scars that emanated from the apartness, through the Truth and Reconciliation Commission; and legislative reform through, firstly, the development of a new Constitution to bridge the structurally-induced alienation of self from society. The dismantling of the old allowed for the re-emergence of positive precolonial values like forgiveness and ubuntu.

As former President Nelson Mandela said in his inauguration speech, “We enter into a covenant that we shall build a society in which all South Africans, both black and white, will be able to walk tall, without fear in their hearts, assured of their inalienable right to human dignity – a rainbow nation at peace with itself and the world.”

A further critical aspect of re-establishing self-worth was facilitating the economic security of the historically oppressed. Accordingly, the democratic government also prioritised the protection of workers through the introduction of progressive labour policies and legislation; and the establishment of platforms such as Nedlac to institutionalise worker and community participation in the public governance arena. 

Determined to draw on the full potential of all South Africans and to broaden the base of economic participation, interventions to deracialise the economy through amongst others preferential procurement and equity coding, occurred. Institutions to provide support and finances for small, micro-, and collective enterprises were created to aid their integration into the mainstream business arena. Undoubtedly, there were firm efforts to transform the structure of the economy.

 

Despite the faint cracks, there appeared to be progress at a superficial level. The impact of the democratic government’s interventions to restore social and economic dignity, however, fell far short of its intentions. The illusion of progress has truly unravelled in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown. The enormity of the scale of poverty has been exposed and the self-worth of many South Africans took a dive as they were forced to scavenge for survival.

The R500 billion intervention announced by the President on April 21 is highly commendable. It is well thought through and, as always, the consultative way that these interventions were developed and the collective commitment to their effective implementation, remains admirable. The spirit of Freedom Day compels us to ensure fair and equitable access to these resources. 

All the hungry should be fed, whether they reside in Masiphumelele or Ocean View. Every ailing micro-enterprise must be aided, whether it is in Soweto or Kameeldrift. The Covid-19 pandemic does not discriminate when it comes to robbing people of their self-worth through economic insecurity and, particularly, food insecurity and accordingly our efforts to defend self-worth should resemble the non-racial country that we seek to create.

It is the introduction of a Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress grant, a form of universal basic income, albeit it a small amount, temporary and targeted at the neediest, that deserves the most applause. This intervention elevates self-worth most as it addresses the very core of alienation. In addition to insecurities around food, the lockdown has also greatly ruffled those whose identities have been based on what they produce and how much they contribute to sustaining their households. 

Given the material nature of their self-worth, the pandemic has driven them to despair, reducing them to a sense of hopelessness as they could no longer go out to work. The comprehensive social security network presented by the President, and particularly the grant, allows for the fundamental reconstitution of what defines us as human beings and what informs our self-worth.

In this regard, the grant as a pilot universal basic income, provides space for a shift in emphasis from our value as tools of production to our value in building and sustaining relationships. 

The determination of our self-worth is now influenced by time with loved ones; our capacity to care and share; and our abilities to be tolerant, dignified and respectful in the face of adversity. Instead of being consumed with productivity, time is being redirected towards appreciating creativity – reading and writing; listening to and composing music; and admiring and creating the visual arts, amongst others. 

A universal basic income through the Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress grant allows for the beginning of a shift from existing to survive, to existing to experience the beauty of life.

The President promised a new approach to the restructuring of our economy once the pandemic ends. This new approach should include encouraging the use of technology to take forward the productive activities traditionally assigned to human beings and the introduction of a mechanism that channels the surplus value generated towards substantively improving the quality of life of all. 

Providing for the social well-being of everyone allows for the deconstruction of the concept of value, thereby enabling the basis of our self-worth to shift from how much we produce to how much we love. 

Government must take over the role of managing and redistributing the country’s wealth; so that we can use this period to redefine how we view ourselves, and how we locate ourselves within our families and in society, without neglecting our civic responsibilities.

* Reneva Fourie is a policy analyst specialising in governance, development and security.

** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of IOL.

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