[PRESS STATEMENT] Inaugural Social Justice Assembly to take place in South Africa in 2023 (28 October 2022).
24 October 2022: After years of consultation and planning, representatives from across the social justice sector will gather on 26 & 27 January 2023 in Pretoria, South Africa, for the inaugural Social Justice Assembly (SJA). The SJA will unpack the findings of the Social Justice Sector Review Report, published in November 2020, and will seek to build sectoral cohesion and better coordination in response to the crises affecting people living in South Africa.
The SJA will bring together over 250 delegates from community-based organisations, social movements, non-governmental organisations, international non-governmental organisations, academics and donors into one space to discuss challenges facing the country and the world, the state of the sector currently and how best civil society can coordinate its efforts to bring about lasting and consequential change.
“The SJA presents a unique and exciting opportunity for movements and organisations working on all aspects of social justice in South Africa to come together to learn from our past, exchange on how we understand our present so we can better work together towards the transformation that is necessary,” says Phumi Mtetwa, Southern African Regional Director at JASS and SJA Coordinating Committee member.
The two-day event will include wide-ranging discussions on the history of the sector, its impact, cultures of accountability and governance, resource allocation and power dynamics within the sector.
The coordinating committee consists of eight members who were approached by the Reference Group which informed the Social Justice Sector Review Report to form the Assembly Coordinating Committee, they include:
1. AFESIS - Nontando Ngamlana
2. Amandla.mobi - Koketso Moeti
3. Cape Flats Movements - Caroline Peters
4. JASS - Phumi Mtetwa
5. MACUA/WAMUA – Gilbert Moela
6. PARI - Mbongiseni Buthelezi
7. SERI - Nomzamo Zondo
The SJA organisers want to create an egalitarian space where all voices are equally heard and as such have encouraged participants to help shape the agenda through programme proposals and speaker suggestions.
According to SERI-SA Executive Director and SJA Coordinating Committee member, Nomzamo Zondo, “the social justice sector’s impact on improving the lives of people has historically been undervalued, we should not miss this timely opportunity to robustly reflect on our impact and galvanise our sector to continue its fight for a just and more equal South Africa”.
For further information on how to participate in the SJA event, please read our FAQ page here.
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