Abstract
The study investigated and documented the role of citizens (particularly the occurrence of social movements) in contemporary South African society from 2005 to 2021 to understand what if any, influence these social movements have had on the public policymaking process in South Africa. The study was motivated by the fact that the African National Congress (ANC) government emerged from a social movement that rose to fight the apartheid government, a regime that propagated the policy of racial discrimination and segregation. Investigating the ANC regimes in the post-apartheid era was critical because the study aimed at understanding whether the same ‘type’ of social movements continued or ended with the end of apartheid. The study found that despite the end of apartheid in 1994 and the dawn of a new era, social movements led by citizens have continued to emerge and exist.
Social movements have existed in South Africa for decades, spanning the apartheid regime to the current post-apartheid era. Prior to the democratic breakthrough, through these movements, citizens were able to influence the policy framework document of the ANC, coined the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP), which was anchored in the socio-economic and development policies for a new South Africa. One such movement was the United Democratic Front (UDF). However, from 1994 to 2004, the role of social movements took a decline in terms of influencing the government policymaking processes. Most social movements that existed prior 1994 were resistance movements that emerged to fight against the apartheid government. While many of the old apartheid-era social movements contributed to the establishment of democratic governance in South Africa, this study contends that the new social movements under the ANC-led government have not resulted in much social change, particularly in terms of their direct influence on policymaking. The study used a qualitative research methodology with an exploratory research approach. The study also collected data from primary sources that included government newspapers and reports, as well as interviews. The study also collected data from secondary sources that involved, published sources, books, and articles on the internet, domestic and international journals. The study
employed the theory of citizen participation, which facilitated a better understanding of the role of citizens in influencing decision-making processes through social movements. The political leadership has been unsuccessful in addressing citizens’ needs and has rendered participation in decision-making processes more challenging. This explains why new social movements emerge in South Africa so often in both urban and rural areas. This study found that from 2005 to 2021, the occurrence of social movements has not ceased, and citizens have been using these channels to attempt to influence the policymaking process in South Africa. It was found that the ANC regime has not yet delivered adequate basic social services as they should, an issue that has led to protests that sometimes resulted in the formation of social movements or vice versa. The study found that while social movements do provide opportunities for citizens to participate in the policymaking processes, the critical question is whether citizens, through social movements, have actually been able to influence the policymaking processes.
The study proposes that for meaningful citizen participation, government and legislatures should institutionalise the policy process and ensure that citizens, through social movements, are able to directly participate and influence the whole policy process, from the beginning to the end of the process (Cloete et al, 2006). The study argues that citizens, as policy actors, should be directly involved to influence the policymaking processes and not to be just informed, consulted, or empowered. Direct involvement assists in reducing tensions and conflicts between policy actors and present an opportunity for policy analysts to evaluate whether the policy outcomes were effective, efficient, or equitable. The study recommends that more attention be paid to the fact that poor governance, corruption, and a failure to provide people with quality and effective basic services will continue to breed new social movements. There is a need to comprehend the role of citizen participation in responding to new social movements, as well as the role of new social movements in promoting sustainable social change emanating from their influence in the policymaking processes. The study uses the two concepts of ‘social movements’ and ‘protests’ interchangeably. Social movements are not necessarily protest actions, but they can emerge from protests. Also, protest actions are not necessarily social movements, but protests can be led by social movements.