Abstract:
The gains that can be attributed to the cause of human security since
the end of apartheid are significant. The right to vote, to basic education
and primary health care; the introduction of an extensive social security
system that has lifted many people out of poverty; the provision of affordable
housing and basic services to millions, are some of the undeniable
achievements of 21 years of democracy. On the regional and international
fronts, South Africa has shifted from being a source of insecurity
to its neighbours to being an advocate for peace on the continent,
playing a prominent mediation role in conflicts such as those in Burundi,
the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Sudan. Yet the
country remains dogged by unemployment and poverty, structural inequality
in the economy, the failure of some state institutions to provide
adequately for the needs of all people, and failures in the criminal
justice system, to name several challenges.
