The Rebuild South Africa Webinar Series, organized by The Gauteng City-Region Observatory (GCRO) and Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection (MISTRA) brought together key experts to explore some of the immediate causes and effects of the recent unrest in KwaZulu-Natal and parts of Gauteng, South Africa during July 2021. This first webinar took place on 29 September 2021.
To explore the broader framework of the triple threat of poverty, inequality, and unemployment, which has been cited as being a root cause of the lack of social cohesion in South Africa, ACCORD’s Founder and Executive Director, Dr Vasu Gounden, was invited to present on mediation in local conflicts. Dr Gounden’s presentation centred on the immediate need for localized community mediation mechanisms. ACCORD’s overall analysis and prognosis of the situation on the ground presented the fault lines that could lead to a resurgence of conflict such as that experienced in early July in South Africa.
ACCORD’s contribution to the series seeks to strengthen local and national capacities for peace and to promote proactive engagement in peace processes, as well as to strengthen the early warning and conflict prevention mechanisms on the continent. ACCORD remains committed towards contributing to the rebuilding of a more socially cohesive and peaceful South Africa.
