He was speaking during the second learning experience for our Cohort 6. The learning experience focused on understanding the political moment, social and structural determinants of health, and the question of who decides who gets to be healthy, with emphasis on power, data, and health equity.
Echoing Mkhaliseni’s sentiments, Mabhelandile Twani, from the Intlungu YaseMatyotyombeni Movement and a Cohort 4 Tekano fellow, said, “The city that we are resisting, which is the City of Cape Town, continues with an attitude of racism, brutality, and a failure to recognise landless people. The problem that the city has created, particularly in housing development, still reflects the old regime’s approach. You need to place Black people very far from the cities; you need to ensure that they are not even close to the cities because they are Black. The city continues with the old regime development model of townships as spaces where labour for the capitalist forces is gathered.”
Some of our fellows feel that South Africa’s government is lacking innovative ideas to tackle the ongoing issues of inequality, poverty, and unemployment. “We are in a state where the majority is suffering, so much social injustice. Even when you look at the proposed budget speech, which only talks about the solution the government sees at this particular stage—namely, increasing VAT—you are talking about a situation where people and communities are suffering, where the income they receive has lost its value. The only solution the government sees is to take more from the people who are already suffering,” said Thembisa Witbooi, a labour relations organiser and Cohort 6 fellow.
Some fellows believe there are opportunities to address these issues and that finding common ground is key. “If we focus on right and left-wing politics, we risk losing the partnerships and collaborations that may arise if we come together and seek opportunities to bring about change for our people. We risk losing the shared values we all believe in—justice, fairness, and community development. But if we are forever at each other’s throats, I don’t see a future there. Neither side will win, and people will continue dying,” said Bakhusele Mathupha, a Cohort 6 fellow.
Nonkululeko Hlongwane-Mhlongo, a community engagement strategist and Cohort 6 fellow, added, “With every crisis, there’s always an opportunity. Democracy for us has always been described as government for the people, by the people. But in practice and through policies, many people have said that they still haven’t tasted the fruits of democracy, even in 2025. With the geopolitics and the utterances of the US, there are many questions and conversations that we need to have as a continent and as a country.”
These reflections emphasise the urgency for change—politically, socially, and economically—in order to build a more equitable and just society.
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