Question NW3717 to the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture

Reply:

The foundation for shared values based on nonracialism and non-sexist, democracy, social justice, and a shared national identity was laid by the 1996 adoption of the Constitution as a national compact to transform and uproot our country from its divisive past. As a Compact, the Constitution set the democratic government on a path to heal the divisions of the past and establish a society based on democratic values, social justice, and fundamental human rights.

The Department of Sport, Arts, and Culture, which oversees the implementation of the Priority 6 Social Cohesion Programme of Action, has several national identity-building and constitutional values-affirmation initiatives aimed at fostering national unity and a sense of pride in being South African.

To foster a national identity that is inclusive of all individuals and surpasses racial, ethnic, religious, and other social identity-related factors, the Department has implemented targeted initiatives to popularise national symbols like the flag in school projects, the #IamtheFlag campaign, awareness-raising workshops on national symbols and national orders based on our Passport of Patriotism, and the commemoration of all our national days. These initiatives offer prospects for genuine nation-building and a broad national identity, with national symbols serving as crucial markers for our shared identity that is founded on Constitutional values, cohesion, and pride in our country.

Further, the Department also implements several community engagement initiatives that are designed with the express purpose of reflecting and mobilising our communities around our shared values in our constitution. These programmes include the Community Conversations Programme, the Social Cohesion Advocates Programme, and the Moral Regeneration Programme. These programmes create opportunities for social dialogue around our constitutional values and the horizontality of human rights in our country. Further, these programmes create platforms for communities to address the social ills that are plaguing our communities such as Gender Based Violence and Femicide as well as the eroding levels of morality and values in our communities. They are also a platform for creating opportunities for interaction to create trust among those from diverse backgrounds, shared values, and a sense of belonging.

There is no doubt that our quest for a shared national identity which is a fundamental prerequisite for nation-building and social cohesion must necessarily be based on the iconography and overall heritage landscape that accurately reflects the demographics of our country as part of redress and restitution. In this regard, my department remains steered by the recommendation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to redress the past inequities, whilst integrating the previously marginalised heritage as a way to cultivate the prospects of authentic reconciliation and social cohesion. In this regard, the Department carries out the Heritage Legacy Project, whereby the Department has constructed several heritage sites and erected monuments and statues in pursuit of the transformation of the heritage landscape. For this MTSF period, these include the Sarah Baartmann Center of Remembrance; Winnie Mandela House in Brandfort; OR Tambo Legacy Project and the JL Dube Amphitheatre.

Further, through the South African Geographical Names Council, the Department continues to standardise the geographical names in South Africa as a way to redress, correct and transform our country with major towns recently changed such as Gqeberha from Port Elizabeth, Kariega from Uitenhage, Qonce from King Williamstown, and Winnie Mandela from Brandfort, and major airports having been recently changed that include the King Phalo from East London and Chief Dawid Stuurman from Port Elizabeth. These national identity-building initiatives are very important in guaranteeing that nation-building and social cohesion are not merely theoretical concepts without the potential to impact inherited racial inequality which is antithesis to the shared values as espoused in the Constitution of our republic.

In addition to the aforementioned programmes, which are essential for forging a national identity based on our shared values, the Department is currently finalising a National Social Compact for Social Cohesion and Nation Building in partnership with key stakeholders. Under this initiative, social actors from the public sector, labour, business, and civil society will engage in meaningful dialogue that will see each of the social partners playing a significant and meaningful role in promoting social cohesion and nation-building.

The Department and other important stakeholders are planning to present this social compact before the social partners at NEDLAC before bringing it before Cabinet for approval. It is expected that the resulting Social Compact will inspire the important sectors of our society such as business, media, and civil society to contribute meaningfully to the advancement of social cohesion and nation-building, with the understanding that these goals cannot be achieved solely by government and that a fundamental agreement outlining the rights and responsibilities of all parties involved in society is necessary.