Inclusive Society Institute presents South Africa Social Cohesion Index at the National Planning Commission Roundtable

The Inclusive Society Institute (ISI) participated prominently in the National Planning Commission’s Social Cohesion Roundtable, held in Pretoria on 3-4 March 2026, where the Institute presented the 2025 update of the South African Social Cohesion Index (SASCI). Acknowledgement is given to Telkom, who has been supporting the SASCI project from its inception. Telkom was represented by its Group CFO, Nonkululeko Dlamini, who also delivered a speech during the session.

The roundtable brought together policymakers, academics, civil society leaders and public institutions to reflect on the state of social cohesion in South Africa and to explore strategies for strengthening national unity in the context of persistent inequality, historical legacies and contemporary political challenges.

The event formed part of the National Planning Commission’s broader work on social cohesion and nation-building and was convened under the theme “Social Cohesion: Going Back to the Fundamentals.”

A national dialogue on the foundations of cohesion

The roundtable programme reflected a deliberate effort to engage deeply with the structural drivers of cohesion in South Africa. Discussions addressed themes such as the legacies of apartheid, land and economic inequality, the role of traditional leadership, migration and citizenship debates, language and identity, and strategies to address unemployment and poverty.

Participants included a wide range of scholars, policy experts and public figures who contributed to group discussions and panel sessions examining both the historical roots and contemporary manifestations of social division in South Africa.

The discussions were structured around the idea that social cohesion cannot be reduced to notions of harmony alone, but must grapple with deeper questions of justice, redress and shared nationhood.

Presentation of the South African Social Cohesion Index

On the second day of the roundtable, the Inclusive Society Institute presented the 2025 update of the South African Social Cohesion Index, with ISI Chief Executive Officer Daryl Swanepoel delivering the keynote speech introducing the findings of the report. A detailed presentation was then made my Mari Harris, the Institute’s Polling and Data Science consultant.

The South African Social Cohesion Index is a scientifically grounded instrument developed by the Inclusive Society Institute in partnership with Constructor University in Bremen, Germany, and represents one of the most comprehensive attempts to measure social cohesion in an African context.

The Index measures cohesion across multiple dimensions including: trust between citizens, trust in institutions, perceptions of fairness, acceptance of diversity, solidarity and civic participation, respect for social rules and national identification.

Rather than relying on anecdotal perceptions about the state of the nation’s social fabric, the Index provides an empirical and longitudinal measurement tool that allows policymakers and researchers to track trends in social cohesion over time.

Key findings: A fragile, but improving social fabric

The 2025 update of the Index provides a nuanced picture of the state of South Africa’s social cohesion.

The overall national score now stands at 56 out of 100, placing South Africa within the moderate cohesion category. While this suggests that the country’s social fabric remains intact, it also highlights the continuing vulnerability of several underlying dimensions of cohesion.

Encouragingly, the data shows that social cohesion has improved for the second consecutive year, suggesting that the country may have reached the bottom of a difficult cycle and begun a gradual recovery.

At the same time, several dimensions remain fragile, particularly perceptions of fairness, acceptance of diversity and respect for social rules. These areas represent structural pressure points that require sustained policy attention.

Social cohesion as national infrastructure

In his address at the roundtable, Swanepoel emphasised that social cohesion should not be treated as a “soft” policy topic, but rather as a critical component of national stability and economic development.

Drawing on international research, he highlighted the strong relationship between cohesion and economic performance, arguing that societies characterised by trust, fairness and shared identity are better positioned to attract investment, sustain reform and manage diversity.

He noted that: “Social cohesion is the invisible infrastructure of a nation. If we strengthen it deliberately, it becomes the foundation of long-term stability and growth. If we neglect it, the costs will not remain abstract, they will be economic, institutional and social.”

Informing the National Dialogue process

The roundtable discussions and the presentation of the Social Cohesion Index form part of the National Planning Commission’s broader efforts to inform the National Dialogue process currently being prepared in South Africa.

Participants emphasised that strengthening cohesion will require coordinated action across government, business, civil society, faith communities and the media, as well as sustained efforts to address structural inequality and expand economic opportunity.

The Inclusive Society Institute remains committed to continuing its work on measuring and analysing social cohesion in South Africa and will continue to provide the South African Social Cohesion Index as an annual evidence-based tool to support public policy and national dialogue on the future of the country.