ADVOCATE THIMANE CALLS FOR INTEGRATED, HUMAN-CENTRED SOLUTIONS TO SOUTH AFRICA’S DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGES

By Keitumetse Rampoporo

• Advocate Gugulethu Thimane urged stakeholders to break down institutional silos and adopt integrated approaches to address poverty, unemployment and inequality.
• The new Joint Policy Brief Series promotes people-centred social protection and labour market policies that link social assistance to sustainable livelihood opportunities.
• The Department of Social Development will convene two strategic roundtables to strengthen collaboration between government, the private sector and development partners.

Johannesburg – 12 June 2026 – The Department of Social Development (DSD), together with FinMark Trust, SALDRU, the University of Cape Town (UCT), the University of Johannesburg (UJ), the Basic Package of Support (BPS), the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA), the National Development Agency (NDA) and BRAC International, launched the Joint Policy Brief Series, Rethinking Social Protection and Labour Market Policy in an Unemployment Crisis, at the University of Johannesburg’s Kingsway Campus on Thursday.

Addressing stakeholders at the launch, Advocate Gugulethu Thimane, Acting Director-General of the Department of Social Development, called for a fundamental shift in how the country responds to its triple challenge of poverty, unemployment and inequality.

“Poverty, unemployment, and inequality remain among the most pressing challenges confronting South Africa. One lesson that has become increasingly clear is that the government cannot overcome these challenges alone. The complexity and scale of these issues require a collective effort involving government, the private sector, civil society, development partners and institutions of higher learning,” said Advocate Thimane

She highlighted the persistent siloed nature of many interventions, noting that programmes often operate independently, focusing on numerical targets rather than long-term sustainable impact.

“This policy brief challenges us to move beyond fragmented approaches and to place people, their aspirations and their lived realities at the center of our interventions. It reminds us that development is not simply about numbers. It is about transforming lives and creating pathways towards dignity, self-reliance and sustainable livelihoods.”

The Acting Director-General praised the Generating Better Livelihoods (GBL) Project, a partnership between the Department of Social Development, NDA, SASSA, FinMark Trust and BRAC International. The project links social grant recipients to economic opportunities through intensive coaching and a human-centred approach. She further noted that this initiative gives practical effect to the developmental mandate outlined in the 1997 White Paper for Social Welfare, which calls for building people’s capacity through multi-sectoral and integrated approaches.

During a facilitated discussion led by Prof. Lauren Graham (DSTI/NRF Research Chair in Welfare and Social Development, Centre for Social Development in Africa, University of Johannesburg), participants shared powerful testimonies from their experiences on the ground.

Ms Seipati Mosebetsi, GBL Linkages Facilitator at FinMark Trust, shared the realities of her work:

“When I profile potential participants, one of the things I start off with is that you are actually my participant and not my beneficiary. I had to take 95% of them through mental health and counseling sessions.”

Ms Mosebetsi emphasised the complex barriers faced by participants, including gender-based violence (GBV), drug addiction, food insecurity and mental health challenges. She highlighted the critical role played by the Department of Social Development through referrals to social workers, counselling services and food parcels, as well as collaboration with the Department of Agriculture’s backyard garden initiative.

Ms Motaba Mofokeng, a participant in the Basic Package of Support (BPS) programme from Orange Farm, shared her personal transformation: “Before joining BPS, I didn’t have information, resources or guidance. I was all over the place.”

Through dedicated coaching, she developed a vision board, returned to school, completed a UNISA certificate and is now enrolled in further studies. Ms Mofokeng said her aspiration is to one day serve the public as a Director-General and make a meaningful difference in people’s lives.

Advocate Thimane announced that the Department will convene two roundtables: one with the private sector, donors and development finance institutions and another focused-on government, to strengthen coordination and integration across departments and programmes. She reaffirmed government’s commitment to scaling successful human-centred models.

The launch of this policy brief series marks an important step towards a more integrated, effective and compassionate social protection system that bridges grants with sustainable livelihood opportunities.