key: cord-0060806-vx0lgrea
authors: Noyoo, Ndangwa
title: Conclusion
date: 2020-06-02
journal: Promoting Healthy Human Relationships in Post-Apartheid South Africa
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-50139-6_15
sha: d48b5caeaa0b92bd926ec60c3be6f55fb711311e
doc_id: 60806
cord_uid: vx0lgrea

The purpose of this section is to conclude and summarise the book’s discussions and arguments which were presented in its various chapters. The contents in the different chapters cover various issues that impinge upon human relationships, ranging from racism, gender-based violence and families, to health care, among others. Its main premise was to decipher the manner in which healthy human relationships could be promoted through social work and social development interventions. In its concluding remarks, this chapter notes that since the dawn of democracy in 1994, South Africa has not only undergone fundamental changes, but it has in many respects been in a fluid state. Also, the country still has social and economic fissures it inherited from colonial and apartheid rule. The foregoing situation has continuously compounded many social problems which were nurtured by the unjust systems of colonialism and apartheid. This chapter ends on a grave note and ponders on the latest and most severe threat to confront humanity since the Second World War which is the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

be observed that one key issue that had hamstrung the democratic transition was the inherited colonial and apartheid baggage, which is quite omnipresent in a democratic South Africa. This was represented and continues to be exemplified by various social ills and injustices that strongly manifest themselves in a democratic dispensation, despite the country having a progressive Constitution, public policies and legislation. Attitudes, mores, values, mindsets and patterns of interaction in some quarters were and still resonating with those of the past systems. Among others, inequality and poverty are the most prominent and perverse socio-economic challenges bedevilling efforts by the government to transform and develop the country. Turok (2008) informs us that the democratic state inherited one of the most distorted socio-economic structures in the world, which was polarised by apartheid into black and white, privileged and oppressed. That some people have escaped from each category does not diminish the structural character of the divide. Inequality, especially economic inequality, diminishes the ability of the government to redistribute the country's resources to the rest of the society. This is due to the way it was shaped and patterned in previous decades: Economic power was highly concentrated. In the mid-1990s, four large corporations controlled 81% of share capital, 20 families held shares worth R 10.7 billion, 87% of the land was owned by whites or white-controlled agri-corporations like Sappi and Mondi; 80% of the country's wealth was owned by 5% of the people. As to income inequalities, white people earned nine times as much as Africans, 6000 people earned over R250,000 a year (1990), 86% of the population altogether earned only 40% of available income, 50% lived below the poverty line and 40% had no jobs in the waged economy. (Turok, 1994 as cited by Turok, 2008, pp. 111-112) This history of racial privilege haunts South Africa to this day and greatly impinges upon its human relationships. In this vein, the promotion of healthy human relationships becomes quite difficult in a highly unequal society such as South Africa. In the main, human relationships are compounded by exploitative relations especially between the owners of capital and the working class. To this end, the migrant labour system, which was created during colonialism and cemented during apartheid rule, continues to reinforce the destabilisation and fragmentation of the African family, as some authors in this text rightly argue. It is therefore important to note that:

Colonial conquest and exploitation weakened the African family on two key fronts. Firstly, enforced labour migration compelled families to live apart. Secondly, the policies, laws and practices were aimed at impoverishing African families, which also had dire long-term consequences for them. The Native Land Act of 1913 was passed, for example, and henceforth became the cornerstone of all forms of forced removals that targeted African people and, to a lesser extent, Indians and Coloureds. Race also became a very effective tool to exclude and marginalise Africans from all life opportunities. Their sole purpose was seen to be that of labourers (i.e. labour inputs) for the colonial and apartheid capitalist economy. With time, other laws were passed in order to keep Africans in impoverished and economically unviable geographic locations with little or no employment opportunities. (Department of Social Development, 2011, pp. 25-26) Crucially, it must be pointed out that the democratic transition was characterised, in some respects, by false starts which resulted in serious mistakes which were made by certain political actors and organs of civil society. In the political realm, corruption created a murky culture of unaccountability and concern for only selfenrichment. Public servants became complicit to the pillaging and plundering of national finances. This situation marred healthy human relationships in the country and cast a dark cloud over the governing party, the African National Congress (ANC). This party's bona fides were called into question by many South Africans. This was during the period when Jacob Zuma was president, from 9 May 2009 to 14 February 2018. Therefore, the democratic transition was not always a rosy picture, but it had flaws.

From the aforementioned issues, one issue stands out: healthy human relationships are crucial for the building of a better South Africa. They serve as the glue of this nation with such a troubled past. Therefore, all role players, from the government, organs of civil society, Faith-Based Organisations (FBOs), traditional leaders, academics and social service professionals have to be invested in the tasks of enhancing, strengthening and nurturing healthy human relationships in South Africa. Many of the social ills and various conflicts across the country, be they at the workplace, in homes or schools, are symptomatic of unhealthy relationships in the country. Lately, there has been a rise in deaths, murders and violent acts on school premises across South Africa. The main perpetrators of such heinous crimes are learners. This worrisome trend is symptomatic of a serious underlying deficit across the country. The former, also points to unhealthy human relationships in schools and the country at large. This social problem requires social workers and social development actors to provide workable and lasting solutions to the country.

This book set out to discuss healthy human relationships in post-apartheid South Africa while anchoring this issue on social work and social development theories and approaches. This theme resonates with the world social work theme of 2019. The authors of the various chapters had explored healthy human relationships while relying on bodies of knowledge of social work and social development. In their expositions, the authors examined the post-1994 democratic socio-political and economic dispensation. In this regard, they addressed themselves to the contemporary realities which either define the social landscape of South Africa, and the historical context, which gave birth to some of the negative forces that continue to impinge upon human relationships in South Africa. The authors, being social work and social development academics, were able to bring to the centre stage of South Africa's post-colonial and post-apartheid development trajectory the issue of healthy human relationships. They were able to show progress in particular areas of the country and also argued that, in certain instances, a lot of work still remained to be done. In all the chapters, it was clear to discern a strong historical narrative. This is evident in the analyses that present backdrops to the country's policies, legislation and other mechanisms aimed at raising the quality of life of vulnerable citizens. The country's historical past of colonialism and apartheid was highlighted as influencing most present-day processes and especially human relationships.

In ending this section of the book, it is important to soberly reflect on the health crisis that has besieged the world while threatening humanity and healthy human relationships, like never before. Already, close to 600,000 people are infected, and global fatalities have exceeded 27,000 (Aljazeera, 2020). Perhaps South Africa faces one of its greatest challenges in its history with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, as the president of the country, Cyril Ramaphosa, remarked when he announced a country-wide 21-day lockdown. The country's leadership and national resolve will be tested, while human relationships will be tried. Already, social workers are being called to step forward and provide their unique skills and know-how to the country's challenges, as it begins this battle with the pandemic and its ramifications. It goes without saying that the fight against this pandemic must be a national and collective effort that transcends all the fissures of this highly unequal society. All must come together and help the country overcome this existential threat to its people and the democratic order. This is the time for the true spirit of Ubuntu to be exhibited by all South Africans and for it to shine through all their endeavours.

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