Acceptance of diversity in the country has steadily declined from an already low 47.1 index points in 2021 to only 46.8 in 2024, warranting serious concern, says Deputy President Paul Mashatile.

Mashatile was speaking at the launch of the 2024 Social Cohesion Index (SASCI) Research in Cape Town this week.

Mashatile also flagged the findings that trust in institutions declined from 50.1 index points to 47.9; and respect for social rules has declined from 40.3 to an alarming 36.6 index points.

“Our current reality is that the sentiment that the Rainbow Nation is drifting apart rather than coming together has become stronger.

“Numerous challenges continue to test our democracy. For instance, state capture negatively impacted our efforts to promote reconciliation and advance our democratic values. It also resulted in a negative and divisive narrative in the country.

“However, some of the recent events in our country have demonstrated that our people are able to stand united for the common purpose. Adversity and triumph have shaped our nation,” Mashatile said.

“We must continue to stand together to confront any other issue that threatens to tear our social fabric and our nation apart.”

The SASCI research was conducted collaboratively by the Constructor University, Bremen, Germany and enabled by Telkom SA.

It measured key indicators such as political, economic and social factors in order to offer an overview of the nation’s cohesion as well as highlight areas of strength and identify challenges that need to be addressed with regards to social cohesion.

In 2024, the overall level of social cohesion in South Africa was found to be moderate at 53.3 points. The figures had seen a decline from 53.5 points in 2021 to 51.7 points in 2023.

Cohesion was found lowest in KwaZulu-Natal (49.6), second lowest in North West (52.0), and third lowest in Free State (52.1). Cohesion was found highest in Limpopo (56.5). Over the period from 2021 to 2024, cohesion has improved only in the North West (+1.2) and Eastern Cape (+2.6). All other provinces have registered an overall decline in the range from -0.1 for Gauteng to -4.2 for Northern Cape.

A steady decline characterizes the trajectory of cohesion in Western Cape. Acceptance of diversity has also consistently declined in Western Cape.

The correlations of the social cohesion index with both measures of income inequality were found to be consistently negative with social cohesion tending to be lower in provinces with larger inequality in income.

“Correlational analyses on the provinces’ overall level of social cohesion and their structural characteristics offer insights on how to strengthen social cohesion: by enabling inclusive (people-centered) economic progress, reducing unemployment, lowering income inequality, providing adequate jobs for the highly qualified, promoting a family-oriented life-style, and bringing the living conditions in rural and urban areas to an equally adequate level,” the report reads.

Cape Times