To grow our economy, create jobs and combat hunger we have given ourselves 100 days to finalise a
comprehensive social compact. President Cyril Ramaphosa announced in his February state of the nation address. But what is meant by a social compact and how can it be achieved?

The road to a social compact criss crosses two other pathways – that of restoring the existing social contract and that of achieving social cohesion. The National Development Plan refers to the social contract as “an agreement that outlines the mutual rights and responsibilities of citizens, their government, and other institutions in society”.

Given the government’s ineffective response to the July unrest, many of us have asked whether the social contract has been broken.