Page 39 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 26
P. 39
Community
disparities based on ethnicity,
gender, class, nationality,
age, disability, or any other
are significantly reduced
or eliminated. It advocates
the coming together of the
country’s diverse histories,
languages, cultures, and more.
Together these aspirations
coalesce, culminating in the
quest to establish a single,
inclusive, national community.
The consequences of growing
global inequalities and uneven Uslaner, 2005). but the celebration was not
development are starting to entirely met with jubilation,
be noticeable because of their South Africa is a prime but rather curiosity from the
effect on social cohesion. example of such a country side of the masses who are
Africa is such a continent that is mired in inequalities mired in poverty. The rising
that bears the consequences that are starting to impact its inequality is a key challenge
of having the most unequal social cohesion. The country for South Africa that adversely
society in the world. has an income Gini that impacts economic development
ranges between 0.66 to 0.70% and socio-political stability.
Inequalities are drastically (World Bank, 2016). This is The accrued disparities have
becoming one of the foremost a testament to the failure to resulted in the undermining or
challenges that the world is redistribute socio-economic setback of the reconciliation
facing due to the disparities benefits more than 20 years project that South Africa
between the rich and the after the advent of democracy. embarked on after 1994
poor especially in developing The transition from apartheid because privileges are still
countries. While the world South Africa to a democratic drawn along racial lines.
is facing growing social dispensation in 1994 was
and economic inequalities hailed as a miracle transition Our view is that as long as
between societies, there are that received international the continent is still facing
fundamental upheavals that are praise. immediate triple socio-
starting to undermine social economic challenges of
cohesion. Recent studies have It set South Africa on a new poverty, unemployment, and
shown that inequalities are footing with the claim of a inequality, chances of having a
accompanied by a reduction rainbow nation under the late real natural and humane social
in social cohesion, specifically iconic Nelson Mandela. In cohesion are not close.
in interpersonal trust between 2014, the country celebrated
different groups (Rothstein and two decades of democracy
ISSUE 26 | APRIL 2024 39
