We can’t fix SA’s problems in a bubble, says Khulisa’s Lesley-Ann van Selm
The founder of NPO Khulisa Social Solutions Lesley-Ann van Selm says South Africa's socio-economic inequalities must be addressed if we are to have lasting peace in the country.
Founder of NPO Khulisa Social Solutions Lesley-Ann van Selm writes:
To promote social cohesion in South Africa, we must first deal with the basic inequality and social challenges that plague our society. And the only way to do that is through a holistic approach that includes communities, a network of NGOs, the private sector and government working together.
Many existing upliftment programmes fail or don’t have the desired impact, because they compartmentalise problems and attempt to address single issues. The only sustainable way to empower vulnerable children, youth, and marginalised communities is to drive widescale change through a multi-stakeholder and inter-sectoral approach.
The prime example of this approach is Alexandra, where Khulisa has been active for more than 20 years across numerous programmes. In Alex, she said, the solution revolved around having a social worker, Nomusa Hlongwa, based at the Alexandra Magistrate’s Court, where she is involved in diversion work with young people in conflict with the law.
And when looting tore through the township during the 2021 civil unrest, Khulisa set up peace dialogues within days to help the community come to grips with the violence. By bringing together the looters, parents, victims and others impacted by the violence, the community could understand what happened and begin a process of healing.
You can’t try and fix South Africa’s socio-economic issues in a bubble. You can’t simply give young people skills training without giving them the means to get to work. It’s no use creating a community crafts project without providing a platform to sell the goods.
You can’t put computers in a school without ensuring the learners’ nutritional needs are met first. Or run GBV awareness campaigns without putting in place support structures for the vulnerable. Everything is interlinked, and it all starts with the community.
Khulisa was launched 25 years ago with an initial focus of implementing South Africa’s first official rehabilitation programme, targeted at young offenders. Today, it has expanded its activities to holistic community development, tackling a wide range of issues and working to improve social and economic inclusion.
In the past five years, it has been running a programme called ‘Communities of Opportunity’ in six provinces. Communities of Opportunity are places where all South Africans – regardless of income, level of education, age, gender, race, ethnicity or sexual orientation – can thrive safely, benefit from economic opportunities, and enjoy a strong culture of connectedness and self-empowerment.
Community-based programmes should be built around peace-making and restorative justice. During the height of the pandemic, while most responses in marginalised communities focused on the delivery of food parcels, Khulisa pioneered a family peace-making programme for vulnerable individuals and communities in seven provinces. The project saw trained field workers help at-risk people and families living in the same households build and maintain peace during the lockdown and beyond.
Previously, it created the Justice and Restoration Project (JARP) in communities like Mitchells Plain and Orange Farm to create a more integrated, expeditious, cost-efficient and effective form of justice. The project used restorative justice, alternative dispute resolution and mediation to not only ease the burden on courts, schools and the SAPS but to reduce reoffending by focusing resources on the root causes of crime.
The point is that we should focus on the needs of victims, offenders and the community instead of viewing crimes as wrongdoing against the state. By empowering the victim and reducing the harmful effects of the offender’s actions, we’re able to heal far quicker and move forward positively.
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