By Nozipho Dlodlo, PhD Candidate, University of KwaZulu-Natal
Introduction
The book ‘NGOs and Social Justice in South Africa and Beyond: Thinking Africa Series’ (UKZN Press 2017) edited by Sally Matthews, emerged from a symposium held in Grahams Town South Africa in 2014, where a platform was begun for academics, social movements’ activists, NGO workers and members of the general public to come together to seek ways to implement social justice through NGOs. The editor acknowledges the presence and contributions of both local and international NGOs on the African continent.
Summary
The book begins by analysing:
- (a) the historical background of the advent of NGOs to Africa and their transforming role;
- (b) the power dynamics of NGOs that come with funds. This arises from the question of whose ‘objectives are being fulfilled with the funds and who dictates the agenda of each organization.;
- (c) questions of how effective the NGOs can be in facilitating and securing social justice;
- (d) the cyclical nature of development due to the hierarchical structure of the NGOs that value accountability to donors rather than provisions to people at the grassroots. (A recent talk by Professor Mark Schuller covered by CIHA Blog also highlighted this point.)
Thus one may conclude that even if the needs and rights of the people at the grassroots are violated, it would not matter to the people in the community as long as funds keep flowing. This ‘technocrat approach’ promotes donor engagement with more skilled people in the community rather than affected people with more dire needs. (See an earlier related Blog piece by Co-Editor, Cilas Kemedjio on technocratic approaches to development.) This is often because skilled people claim to represent the marginalized, but end up being puppets of donor objectives and goals. The approach raised by some of the scholars such as Manji (one of the contributors to the book), raises the question of how people on the ground can maintain agency and control of their own continent given the continued intrusion of funding into local communities.
At the heart of any change and development is respecting the needs of the people. A postcolonial agency approach would suggest that the people at the grassroots should be part of the process of social transformation. However, most often the NGO benefits more than the people at the grassroots.
Analysis
What the book does not address clearly is that, to think of securing social justice, there needs to be a shift beyond looking to NGOs. There needs to be an effort made by other stakeholders to promote social justice rather than solely focusing on the work of NGOs, especially on the African continent. My greatest critique of the book is that it appears to postulate that NGOs are the sole custodians of social justice.
However, the book is a good read as it provides a critical approach to the goals of NGOs and their responses to the problems faced by people at the grassroots. At face value, the title of the book seems to suggest that NGOs serve as a bridge in addressing the needs of those marginalized, with the intended emphasis on direct community engagement surpassing governments. However on actually reading the book, no such parameters are drawn and explicitly explained especially regarding social justice.
Concluding remarks
The book raises critical questions relating to the work of NGOs, especially in the wake of the global financial crisis (2007/8) that has since led to decreased international humanitarian funding. Issues such as the retrenchment of employees as a result of an over-reliance on humanitarian aid and effects thereof are raised. The book also exposes the practice where local NGO owners have resorted to applying for funding particular to the desired needs of the funders rather than the needs of the receiving communities. It is however, the case that beyond the financial benefits, some NGOs continue to attend to the needs of the people. And despite the geo-political challenges, a number of NGOs remain loyal to tackling issues of social justice. The book finally captures the role of NGOs, especially in activism, as sites of hope in situations where governments have neglected the needs of the people at the margins. This book serves as critical resource for scholars seeking to understand the work done by NGOs in Southern Africa and many of the ethical issues involved.