The campaign will take place across the country. "We will be on the streets, at taxi ranks, at train stations and in shopping centres. We will be going into communities to host conversations about what makes us South Africans at heart. We want to know what you think," says Minister Paul Mashatile.
The campaign will culminate in a national summit from July 13-15 2011, where a review of what South Africans have said about their values, a review of all the proposed ways from each province of how to build a caring nation and how government can work together with communities will take place.
"This campaign is not just a conversation but also a call to action. This is a very important journey that we as South Africans are embarking on. It's important that every one of us takes part, if we are to protect our democracy," says the Minister.
Government has agreed on 12 outcomes to direct work between now and 2014. The 12th outcome is in two parts. Firstly, to build an efficient, effective, and development oriented public service and secondly an empowered, inclusive and fair citizenship.
It is the mandate and responsibility of the DAC to see to the second part the 12th outcome. This values campaign speaks to that responsibility and reaffirms government's commitment to building social cohesion among South Africans.
Based on four key pillars - diversity, inclusiveness, access and values - social cohesion is about celebrating diversity in an inclusive manner, working with common values, and making sure that all have equal access to basic services, education, health care, justice and housing.
It is about ensuring that South Africans relate better to one another, be it as friends, neighbours, family, colleagues or even strangers. How do South Africans relate to fellow citizens? And how do they respond to the injustice they see around them? They live in a country whose richness is based on the diversity of its people.
Social cohesion is not a soft issue. Without an empowered, informed, inclusive citizenry, South Africa cannot build a caring nation, a just and fair society. While it is its differences that make it rich, it is its commonalities that make it strong as a nation.
This is why the department wants to hear South African's views. The past has left deep divisions among the people of South Africa and helping to overcome these has been at the core of the work of government.
