Rethinking and Unthinking Social Movements and Activism in South Africa

Activists from 17 South African civil society organisations were at the annual activist week themed: ‘Rethinking and Unthinking Social Movements and Activism in South Africa’ hosted by the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s (UKZN) Centre for Civil Society (CCS).

Director of the CCS Professor Shauna Mottiar emphasised the importance of creating a space where activists learn with one another, build alliances and strengthen the collective power of social justice work across South Africa.

Mottiar said it was an extraordinary week in which critical social justice organisations came together in one space to dialogue, link and co-produce knowledge.

“Civil society is critical to the health of democracy and CCS’s role is to support the sector and train the next generation of civil society people through our post-graduate programmes,” said Mottiar.

The civil society organisations which attended the event all have a national footprint and work on areas including health rights, socio economic rights, education rights, land rights, environmental justice, disability and gender rights, and child and LGBTQI+ rights, as well as the right to fecal security and the rights of waste pickers.

Highlights from the week included ethical research methodology, strategies for civil society organisations, fundraising and digital literacy.

South African human rights and social justice activist Mr Mark Heywood facilitated a critical session on building solidarity and avoiding silos in the civil society sector. Heywood emphasised that civil society organisations needed find ways to collaborate as “silos stop us from amalgamating power”.

The activist week was guided by the Appreciative Inquiry Method to calculate the outcomes of the event as co-produced knowledge which will be published in an edited volume.

Words: Raylene Captain-Hasthibeer

Photographs: Simo Dlamini