South Africa’s Political Commitment to the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Vulnerable Groups

Abstract

Protecting and promoting the rights of vulnerable groups is an internationally recognised standard for good governance and inclusive development. This is underscored by the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) as essential to strengthening democracy and political governance in Africa. This chapter reviews the progress made by the Republic of South Africa since 2019 on the rights of vulnerable groups. It argues that practices and affirmative actions towards combatting prejudice or eliminating conditions that perpetuate discrimination against vulnerable and marginalised groups at both national and sub-national levels in South Africa have produced mixed results. These include challenges of designing and implementing policies and programmes of social inclusion that address the vulnerabilities of immigrant populations—asylum seekers, refugees, undocumented migrants and gender non-conforming people. Similarly, public and service delivery systems have not prioritised protective measures to secure their lives, properties and livelihoods against violence. Therefore, cooperative governance, socio-economic inclusion and support for vulnerable groups should be incorporated into the national development priorities of South Africa. Starting with the review of national intervention programmes, an overhaul of public participation mechanisms and processes to enhance efficiency in service delivery is critical to sustainably address these challenges.