“In the times that we are going through currently, it is very easy to become despondent and lose hope, but we are a resilient nation. If you want to make a difference for social justice, play a part in ending poverty and inequality through everyday justice. Every ordinary person can play a role in pulling together resources that will make sure that no one is left behind."

This was the message from Prof Thuli Madonsela, Law Trust Chair in Social Justice at Stellenbosch University (SU), at the second annual Social Justice Summit.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, the summit was held virtually this year, with various high-level speakers and members of civil society coming together online to unpack the concept of social justice in South Africa.

The theme of this year's summit was All hands on deck to leave no one behind in the post-COVID-19 recovery agenda.

According to Madonsela, the timing of the Social Justice Summit could not have been more appropriate since South Africa is still reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic, which has also once again revealed how unequal the country's society is.

“My hope is that we come out of this summit with a burning optimism and a sense of believing that we can achieve social justice, we can end inequality, we can end poverty and that we can work together. The summit will give us an opportunity to reflect together and build something better together," said Madonsela.

Madonsela also shared the Social Justice M-Plan (Mosa-Plan for Social Justice) and launched the M-Fund, which is a crowdfunding initiative to accelerate the advancement of equality and the elimination of poverty in pursuit of the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  

The Social Justice M-Plan is a social justice accelerator programme that aims to catalyse the process of ending poverty and equalising life opportunities by 2030 as envisaged in the National Development Plan read with the UN SDGs.

The project seeks to establish, among others, a social justice think tank to help government accelerate progress towards socio-economic inclusion and related shared prosperity as part of anchoring democracy and the rule of law.

SU Rector and Vice-Chancellor Prof Wim de Villiers emphasised the University's commitment to the Social Justice M-Plan and the M-Fund. He said SU wanted to help “create a better future for all of us" by tackling the grand challenges of society.

“In order to leave no one behind in the post COVID-19 recovery agenda, the M-Plan for Social Justice needs a strong coalition that seeks to end poverty and drastically reduce structural inequality. At Stellenbosch University, we have made a commitment to be a force for good in the transformation of South Africa into a place of opportunity for all, a place of shared prosperity and a place where there is sustainable peaceful coexistence," said De Villiers.

Minister Ronald Lamola, Minister for Justice and Correctional Services, delivered the keynote address at the summit. He said that government was committed to rooting out the corruption that has plagued government's fight to eradicate poverty and inequality in South Africa.

“We South Africans have succeeded so far in putting policy structures, processes and implementation procedures in place for the transformation and development of our country. We cannot falter the future of this great nation, because it is in our hands. We have to ensure that every rand and cent counts and reaches its intended beneficiaries, but we also need the help of every citizen," said Lamola.

For more information on the 2020 Social Justice Summit, click here.​