HUMAN RIGHTS MUST BE THE BASELINE IN SOCIAL SECURITY, SAYS UCT PROFESSOR

By Precious Mupenzi.

• The Department of Social Development (DSD) and the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) launched the first national webinar in the Social Security Review Volume 2 series, focusing on the gaps in coverage for vulnerable groups.
• Professor Nomkhosi Xulu-Gama of the University of Cape Town called for a rights-based approach to social security that includes migrants and informal workers.
• ⁠The session underscored the urgent need to bridge the divide between South Africa’s progressive policies and the lived realities of those most in need.

Despite South Africa’s progressive legal framework for social security, the gap between policy and lived reality remains painfully wide, especially for migrants and informal workers. This was the central message from Professor Nomkhosi Xulu-Gama, Head of the Sociology Department at the University of Cape Town, during the first national webinar of the Social Security Review Volume 2 series hosted by DSD and HSRC.

Under the overarching theme “Advancing Social Security: Exploring Pathways to Resilience Post-COVID-19”, the webinar explored “Bridging Gaps: Social Security Coverage for Vulnerable Groups” and featured presentations by leading researchers, including Professor Marius Olivier, whose paper on migrants and the legal-policy framework informed Xulu-Gama’s reflections.

Prof. Xulu-Gama praised the clarity of the paper but noted a disconnect between policy and implementation. “It’s a nice paper with a well-articulated legal framework,” she said, “but if these policies are not part of our everyday lived realities, especially for the most vulnerable, they remain ineffective. The challenge is not that the policies are bad, it’s that they are not implemented.”

Offering a sociological perspective, she emphasised that migration in South Africa is growing and changing in character, intensifying insecurities for both citizens and migrants. “Our policies must reflect that we are interconnected,” she said.

She cited failures during the COVID-19 pandemic, when many manual labourers and domestic workers contracted the virus at work yet received no benefits or support. “We know that many of our friends and family members got COVID-19 at work but never received any benefits. Some were even fired. That tells us our policy implementation is broken.”

Highlighting enforcement gaps, she pointed to migrant labour quotas in sectors such as hospitality, domestic work, and construction that remain largely ignored. “There are policies and codes, but they are not being implemented. Even the legal system sometimes fails us.”
At the heart of her address was a reminder that human rights must guide all policy decisions. “Human rights are not conditional. They are universal. Everyone has a right to social security, including insurance. That should be our ethical and policy starting point,” she said.
As the series continues, DSD and HSRC aim to use these discussions to inform stronger, more inclusive frameworks that extend protection to all citizens and migrants alike.