The department of social development is one of the most important departments.
Its task is to ensure the social welfare of a country where apartheid-era policies worked essentially against citizens.
That system effectively relegated most citizens to second-class citizenship.
The work of the department was compounded over the years by a slower rate of economic growth than our population grows.
From 1994 to about 2008 economic growth outpaced population growth, with about 3.2% to 3.6% GDP growth while the population grew at about 1% to 1.3%.
The period of 2009 and 2010 was a transition period featuring the effects of the global recession and state spending in preparation for the 2010 World Cup.
From 2011 to the present, the trend reversed, with GDP figures hovering between 0.5% and 1.5%, below the population growth between 1% to 1.4%.
This has resulted in a country with high unemployment rates at about 31.4% in 2025, and with many citizens dependent on government grants in one way or another.
Currently, there are about 19 million South Africans on standard social grants that include the child support grant, old age grant, disability grant and care dependency grant.
About 8.7 million South Africans are on the social relief of distress grant (SRD), bringing the total number close to 28 million.
The SRD has been extended several times and there seems to be an appetite to change it into a universal basic income grant.
This just highlights the sheer size of the responsibilities of the department.
The heavy lean of our government towards social support has its roots, to an extent, in our deep-set concept of ubuntu.
It probably has some socialist and populist influences no doubt.
However, it is always important to put the contribution of the concept of ubuntu in its proper context to mitigate against the misuse of this important concept by political players.
The appointment of Dina Pule to the important job of heading the department raised serious debate in the country.
This appointment was particularly noticeable in that Pule was replacing Sisisi Tolashe who was dismissed for impropriety.
On the one hand, there are people who believe Pule has been sufficiently rehabilitated after she was found to have acted improperly as a minister of communications back in 2013.
Notably, Prof Thuli Madonsela, in a recent SABC interview, invoked the precepts of ubuntu to point out the rehabilitative essence of ubuntu in this decision.
On the other hand, South Africans are tired of the old trend of ANC politicians being recycled back into the government despite their wrongdoing.
This trend only seems to have entrenched wrongdoing, entitlement and lack of accountability among the political elite.
The recent appointment of Pule does not line up with Cyril Ramaphosa’s new dawn, ANC renewal, fighting corruption or any of that rhetoric.
Instead, it chips away at what little trust there remains among South Africans about his political leadership, and sadly, the institutions that should keep political leaders in check.
In the same SABC interview, Prof Lesiba Teffo, expressed suspicion that Ramaphosa may have appointed Pule to ensure his own political survival considering the political pressure of impeachment and Phala Phala.
If true, Ramaphosa’s actions have indicated how seriously he takes his political survival above the responsibilities of social development.
If this appointment is politically motivated, it is misaligned with ubuntu.
It will force the already compromised Pule to focus on protecting Ramaphosa politically, rather than leading that important department.
Ubuntu essentially requires the recognition of people as people by other people.
So, it is and was never about charity or the exchange of political favours, but primarily about identity and contribution.
Societies where ubuntu emerged ensured that all members of society participated in the economic activities of their society.
Exceptions could be made only for the frail who simply do not possess the ability to participate.
If we use this lens, we can appreciate the risk of corrupting the contribution of ubuntu in our efforts to build a modern society, when we use it to represent charity and favours.
The true responsibility of ubuntu is to build a society that optimises and utilises the contributions of all members of our society to express the meaning of being human where disability does not inhibit this.
The social services department has work far beyond simply distributing grants, it requires real talent.
It is central to building a socioeconomic system that prioritises citizen wellbeing, especially the poor.
Otherwise, we are recycling the same system that relegates most citizens to second-class citizenship where state charity creates an entire class.
Daily Dispatch
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