Abstract
In recent years, the term “social cohesion” has become an important concept in post-apartheid South Africa.[i] In this paper, we discuss the potential of the Community Work Programme (CWP) as a violence-prevention project based on a study conducted[ii] in six communities, namely Ivory Park, Orange Farm and Kagiso (situated in Gauteng Province), Bokfontein (North West Province), Grabouw and Mannenberg (Western Cape). In this paper, we discuss the potential of CWP in facilitating social cohesion to prevent violence in communities. The CWP work includes community violence-prevention programmes against gangsterism, drug abuse, domestic violence and xenophobic violence. Ordinarily many of these violence prevention projects would not have been possible if it was not for the CWP. However, this paper shows that that the impact of the CWP is not always positive. In some of the six communities, the CWP was a source of racial or interpersonal conflicts, power struggles amongst the local elites for the control of the CWP, xenophobic or ethnic divisions. This paper provides all this analysis to show tensions and contradictions of the CWP in facilitating and hindering social cohesion in communities. It is recommended in conclusion that, if not implemented well, the CWP may be a source of conflict rather than social cohesion. It needs to be implemented in a reliable and stable way if it is to assist in reducing violence in communities.[i] Ingrid Palmary, Reflections on social cohesion in contemporary South Africa, Psychology in Society (forthcoming)[ii] This study was conducted by researchers at the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR)
Highlights
Facilitating or hindering social cohesion?This article discusses the contribution of the Community Work Programme (CWP) to social cohesion, a term that is widely used in post-apartheid South Africa.[1] The article is based on a study that examined the contribution of the CWP to violence prevention
Social cohesion was a key concept in a study commissioned by the Department of Arts and Culture to deal with the issue of race and racism and other forms of exclusion in post-apartheid South Africa in 2004.2 During this period, the term was used to talk about the need for South Africans to unite as part of a broader process of nation building and reconciliation.[3]
This article discusses the contribution of the Community Work Programme (CWP) to social cohesion, a term that is widely used in post-apartheid South Africa.[1]
Summary
This article discusses the contribution of the Community Work Programme (CWP) to social cohesion, a term that is widely used in post-apartheid South Africa.[1] The article is based on a study that examined the contribution of the CWP to violence prevention. We show in this article that that the impact of the CWP is not always positive and that the CWP may in some cases result in tensions and contradictions that hinder social cohesion and even cause violence. If not implemented in a consultative participatory manner, the CWP may be a source of conflict rather than of social cohesion. It is necessary to ensure that the CWP is implemented with integrity if it is to contribute to positive social cohesion and prevent violence
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