Social cohesion policy support (2019)
In early 2016, Gauteng Premier David Makhura tasked a group of eminent persons to form what has become known as the Gauteng Champions for Nation Building and Social Cohesion. The group, includes Yvonne Mokgoro (Chair), Mary Metcalfe (Deputy Chair), Frank Chikane, Giet Khoza, Luli Callinicos, Tasneem Motara, Khalil Goga, Shan Balton, Raenette Taljaard, Amos Monyela, Gcina Malindi, Roger Jardine, Barbara Masekela, and Mbali Hlophe.
The mandate of this group was to produce a report advising the Provincial Government on the underlying causes and dynamics of challenges to building a society free of racism and xenophobia, proposed interventions, and a provincial plan of action to combat racism and xenophobia. The group met 20 times during the course of 2016-2019. GCRO participated in these meetings and played a supporting role by coordinating and co-authoring a framework document. A final report was submitted by the champions group to the provincial government in April 2019.
Independently of this process, the City of Johannesburg approached GCRO in late 2016 to provide research support on social cohesion. GCRO completed a report in June 2017 based on an analysis of its 2015/16 Quality of Life IV survey and an analysis of existing and past efforts to improve social cohesion in South Africa.
The material produced for both of these policy support processes was published as a GCRO research report in March 2019.
The results of the project has also sparked further interest in the factors that influence specific social attitudes. To this end, Prof Mark Orkin was commissioned in 2018 to do an analysis of factors that are co-present with those QoL respondents who declare xenophobic attitudes. This has been published as a GCRO provocation.
Outputs
GCRO outputs
Ballard, R., Hamann, C., Joseph, K. and Mkhize, T. (2019). Social cohesion in Gauteng, Research report 10. Johannesburg: Gauteng City-Region Observatory.
Orkin, M. (2019) Predicting xenophobic attitudes: Statistical path models of objective and subjective factors, Provocation 9. Gauteng City-Region Observatory
Presentations
Richard Ballard (February 2017) ‘Inclusive Gauteng, a framework document on social cohesion’. Workshop with Gauteng Champions for Social Cohesion the Gauteng Department of Education, Johannesburg. 16 February 2017.
Kate Joseph (April 2017) 'Social cohesion meta analysis: Intervention initiatives'. City of Johannesburg Group Strategy, Policy Coordination and Relations, Johannesburg. 10 April 2017.
Richard Ballard (April 2017) 'Concept Document: Social Cohesion'. Workshop to present interim documents commissioned by City of Johannesburg officials, Johannesburg. 10 April 2017.
Richard Ballard (June 2017) Concept Document: Social Cohesion. Internal workshop to present interim documents commissioned by City of Johannesburg officials. 2 June 2017
Richard Ballard (June 2017) 'Social cohesion in the City of Johannesburg' City of Johannesburg strategic Research Workshop, Braamfontein. 27 June 2017.
Richard Ballard (July 2017) 'Inclusive Gauteng: A resource document on the possibilities of achieving greater social cohesion in Gauteng' Gauteng Provincial Cabinet Special Session. Johannesburg. 19 July 2017
Kate Joseph (August 2017) 'Social cohesion as a concern of local government: learning from past and current initiatives'. Faces of the City Seminar. Wits university, 1 August 2017.
Kate Joseph (November 2017) 'Social cohesion as a concern of local government: learning from past and current initiatives'. Social Cohesion in KZN - a deliberation on this complexity. Durban, 13 November 2017.
Richard Ballard (July 2018). 'From social cohesion to targeted interventions on specific problems'. Social Cohesion Champions meeting with provincial departments, Midrand. 10 July 2018.
Richard Ballard (August 2018). 'From social cohesion to targeted interventions on specific problems'. Gauteng Treasury BMT meeting. University of Johannesburg. 2 August 2018.
Richard Ballard (April 2019) 'Inclusive Gauteng'. Champions for Social Cohesion meeting together with municipal representatives, 12 April 2019.
Thembani Mkhize (June 2019). 'Social Cohesion in Urban Regeneration? Lessons from Ekhaya Neighbourhood CID, Hillbrow, Johannesburg.' Social Cohesion in South Africa: scientifically engaging with a buzzword, Stellenbosch University, 4 June 2019.
Christian Hamann (October 2022). 'Social cohesion in Gauteng'. Indlulamithi 2022 Social Cohesion Barometer Meeting, Online presentation, 5 October 2022.
Last updated: 4 November 2022.
