South Africa, Covid-19 and the Social Contract

The paper argues that while the South African government showed increased responsiveness during the Covid-19 crisis, the pandemic exacerbated existing inequalities, food poverty, and state violence. It highlights a divide between a government-business coalition and a marginalized civil society, while noting that corruption in PPE and food relief procurement continued to undermine public trust.

• The Covid-19 lockdown intensified existing social crises, specifically highlighting widespread food poverty and a surge in gender-based violence, particularly intimate-partner violence against women.
• The deployment of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to enforce lockdown regulations led to instances of state brutality and violence against citizens, exemplified by the death of Collins Khosa in Alexandra, Johannesburg.
• Corruption persisted during the emergency response, notably through the awarding of inflated PPE contracts to companies linked to African National Congress (ANC) politicians and bureaucrats, as well as patronage in the distribution of food relief packages.
• The pandemic caused severe economic contraction, with GDP falling 16% in the second quarter of 2020 and approximately 2 million jobs lost during the same period.
• A structural divide exists in the national response: a collaborative partnership between the state and business (represented by the Solidarity Fund) contrasts with a social justice-focused civil society (represented by the C19 People’s Coalition) that often operates from the margins through protest and litigation.
• Despite failures and 'pig-headedness' regarding policies like the cigarette and alcohol bans, the state demonstrated a higher level of responsiveness to public criticism and activism compared to the previous administration of Jacob Zuma.

APA

Buthelezi, M. (2020). South Africa, Covid-19 and the Social Contract. Public Affairs Research Institute. https://pari.org.za/south-africa-covid-19-social-contract/

Chicago

Buthelezi, Mbongiseni. South Africa, Covid-19 and the Social Contract. Public Affairs Research Institute, 2020. https://pari.org.za/south-africa-covid-19-social-contract/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Buthelezi |first1=Mbongiseni |title=South Africa, Covid-19 and the Social Contract |publisher=Public Affairs Research Institute |date=27 October 2020 |url=https://pari.org.za/south-africa-covid-19-social-contract/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{buthelezi2020south, author = {Buthelezi, Mbongiseni}, title = {{South Africa, Covid-19 and the Social Contract}}, institution = {Public Affairs Research Institute}, year = {2020}, month = oct, url = {https://pari.org.za/south-africa-covid-19-social-contract/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }