“Legacies of colonialism remain stacked against social justice, but let’s show up anew in solidarity” – World Justice Day

For World Justice Day ACTSA Advisory Council board member and Zimbabwe democracy and human rights activist Makomborero Haruzivishe looks at what social justice means today and how we can stand in solidarity.

Today is World Social Justice Day.  Such a broad concept is hard to grasp at local levels – what does social justice actually look like for ordinary citizens of the world ?  Using my experience in Zimbabwe I began to think about the kinds of tools people might need to measure the existence of social justice.  The UN says social development goes hand in hand with social justice, so I tried to imagine developing Social Development Goals (the famous SDGs!) specifically for social justice indicators.  As an ordinary Zimbabwean, I realised that any indicators must be part of a structure accountable to citizens; otherwise they become ‘captured’ by elites and powerful interests such as multi-national companies and kleptocrats.  Some say this has happened to the UN SDGs.  The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has a set of ingredients including ‘decent work’ and social protection.  But governments can no longer create the millions of jobs young people need in today’s capitalist economy.  Is social justice possible where Southern African countries have to operate under unjust trade agreements or unfair debt interest, resulting in unstable public goods such as clean water and healthcare?  These legacies of colonialism, including corporatisation of mineral wealth, legal precepts, use of land, all remain stacked against social justice.

South Africa provides a brilliant case study:  facing apartheid’s legacies South Africa still has a strong civil society, a robust Constitution, an independent judiciary, and a free press which means they garner international standing.  Within SADC,  South Africa has retained some solidarity relationships, although because of incoherent policies on immigration, these are sometimes put at risk by the political rhetoric.  But it also has years of international solidarity in its favour because of long-held relationships fighting apartheid.  I believe South Africa has the indicators which must be present if social justice is to be achieved.  I realised that unless the voices of ordinary people are heard, social justice cannot be present and key to this is international solidarity.

In South Africa’s case, trade union action, public education and protest through the arts, boycotts and sanctions campaigns showed that international solidarity existed outside political parties.  International groups with shared values, shared leadership and shared risk are vital to effect change.  If we can sustain and renew international solidarity with people in the global South, we will see social justice indicators rise, not just in my home region of Southern Africa, but across the African continent.

You can join ACTSA to be part of this kind of social justice work.  Or you can simply assess how to put time, money, skills or other resources to best use, alongside people who are trying to put those foundations for social justice in place.  But it’s long term work.  This year ACTSA turns 30.  No-one imagined Zimbabwe and Swaziland would become repressive regimes killing their own citizens,  or that the DRC’s borders would be invaded by an African neighbour and peacekeepers killed.  I didn’t imagine that women from Southern Africa would be banned from bringing their children to the UK after being recruited to work in health and social care here.  I didn’t imagine that the Kabwe community in Zambia would have to endure 50 years of lead contamination resulting in children’s deaths and high rates of miscarriage.  I was shocked to learn that former gold miners in Southern Africa are still dying without compensation for their illness.  All these are key campaigns ACTSA is working on today with partners in the UK and in the SADC region.

Because ACTSA stands, we can also stand in solidarity with people as they build their democracy in their nations.  We can stand in solidarity while citizens take corporates to court and demand environmental clean-ups.  We can stand in solidarity while local lawyers use the justice system to obtain public accountability from their governments.  We can stand in solidarity while civil society organisations advocate for free and fair elections.  Across SADC there are groups of people standing together against repressive governments, politicised media and ‘captured’ technology platforms, lies and corruption.   These groups are made up of people like you and me.

If you feel, like me, we can do this together, today would be the day to sign up, or give a donation.  Today on World Social Justice Day, let’s show up anew in solidarity with those still working for social justice in Southern Africa.

Makomborero Haruzivishe

ACTSA Advisory Council member