Seeking the Ethical Foundations of the South African Nation contains a collection of presentations and discussions that reflect on three decades of democracy with a view toward understanding the ethical issues and challenges facing our society today. The papers offer thought-provoking ideas about what might constitute shared values and ethics to take South Africa forward into a more equitable, ethical and just future.

In January 2018, one month before the volume was published, the Zondo Commission was established to investigate allegations of state capture in South Africa’s public sector. Over the next three years, it revealed a pattern of corruption and fraud in the state and private sector. The Zondo hearings demonstrated in stark terms the enormous costs of South Africa’s failure to undergird its democratic system of government with a strong ethical foundation. As the final report of the Zondo Commission has been recently released, it is a timely moment to again reflect on the ethical underpinnings of South Africa’s democracy, in light of all that we have learned since 2018.

The webinar discussion will be led by the Project Leader of Seeking the Ethical Foundations of the South African Nation, Professor Itumeleng Mosala, and contributing authors, Ms Nompumelelo Runji and Dr Reuel Khoza.