Quest for economic freedom

THERE is a mixed record of South Africa’s human rights interventions in response to gender inequality, access to education, access to justice or to enforce the freedom of association — however, economic equality remains elusive.

- GCWALISILE KHANYILE

This is according to Professor Siphamandla Zondi, the director of the Institute for Pan African Thought and Conversation at the University of Johannesburg.

Zondi said the country’s human rights instruments are praised for being designed to be among the best in the world. They follow the very best practices in the world. Yet what they were meant to end, continues.

He said that without economic equality, historical justice is hollow and this equality has been elusive.

“Gender-based violence is very high. Poverty and inequality are rife. Many still cannot assert some of their rights,” Zondi said.

On land reform, he said government statistics showed that while a lot of land had been transferred to claimants, a lot remained pending. Even where transfer happened, large tracts of land were wasted as there was no work on them.

“The land reform programme that is well designed has not been efficient. There is still a lot of outcry over the pace of land restitution leading to calls for land expropriation without compensation still being debated.

“However, with a coalition government bringing into the centre political force opposed to just land reform, it is much more difficult to achieve the land reform policy now than before,” he said.