As 2024 draws to a close, South Africa faces a critical juncture, grappling with a range of pressing challenges. Unemployment reached 33.5% in the second quarter, with youth unemployment soaring to 60.8%, surpassing pre-pandemic levels. Environmental crises, including droughts in the Eastern Cape, flooding in KwaZulu-Natal and wildfires in the Western Cape, have added to the strain. The Department of Social Development also faces budget shortfalls, delays in service delivery and struggles to support NGOs and all of these issues are compounded by the broader global polycrisis, deepening economic, environmental and social pressures.
Philanthropy at the Crossroads: Rebuilding Power in a Fragmenting World
By Lusako Munyenyembe, Program Officer, Ford Foundation Southern Africa Officer Making