Co-Founder of Read to Rise, Athol Williams is a professional writer and social philosopher who grew up in Mitchells Plain, a coloured township in Cape Town which was formed by the apartheid government in the early 1970s. He shares his dream of a prosperous, safe and harmonious South Africa for all our citizens. However, he argues that the economy is not the biggest of our problems. “If we were to break down the material divisions that put us at loggerheads and re-discover what unites us and, only then can we build a common and prosperous future for everyone.
Findings of a new report released by the Centre for Development and Enterprise (CDE) show that the South African economy over the past decade has been exceptionally disappointing, and this has been accompanied by a vast build-up of public sector debt. According to Williams “almost all of our politicians appear to focus predominantly on the question of the economy with unemployment, falling GDP and downgrades being centre stage as our biggest worries. I think it is in this narrow focus that we are missing an important mark, while economic growth and stability are clearly important, in my view, it is more output of a successful society and not an input”.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern shared similar sentiments during a Davos discussion. She observed that her country is looking to determine how well it is doing by a range of measures, not just economic. She asked how can her country consider itself as a flourishing state when, amid enviable economic growth, New Zealand faces crises in homelessness and mental health, she said. “We need to address the societal well-being of our nation, not just the economic well-being.”
With this notion in mind, Williams drew up his own framework for South Africa’s well-being based on the following question; what are people’s needs and if they were to be met, would this make South Africa a great nation? He identified 12 priority goals which address both the needs of the individual and society.
Williams started with the most basic needs is (1) ample nutrition, (2) accessible basic healthcare& (3) assured safety. He moves on to level two, where he stresses that if one’s needs are met, this would consequently make them feel like they’re living a good life in a good society. He mentions These (4) meaningful relationships, (5) fulfilling employment and (6) adequate recreation. “These are the things, I believe, that gives people a sense of fulfilment, spending time with those they love, and being able to pay for those”. On the next level, he looked at the kind of society that would allow us to meet those needs. He calls the next level of items basic enablers identifying them as (7) enriching education specifically talking about sufficient education that allows someone to access fulfilling employment, (8) functional infrastructure and (9) productive industry. Then finally he identified three ‘secondary enablers. These are (10) enlightened citizens who understand their democracy and actively participate, (11) a cohesive society which is also inscribed in the National Development Plan and (12) effective governance. “These are the things that any society needs, that while unseen nonetheless enable everything else” adds, Williams.
“Around the 1994 elections, there appeared a brief moment where it seemed that we could indeed be one – united by Madiba’s vision of a rainbow nation. However, as these dreams failed to turn into economic realities, old divisions have come back to haunt us and any hope of social unity and cohesion appears lost” says Williams. The Poverty & Inequality Initiative at the University of Cape Town observed that social cohesion is one of the most fundamental policy challenges facing South Africa today.
