Social Solidarity as a Metaphor for Social Order under South Africa’s Transformative Constitutionalism

Abstract

Considerate of South Africa’s lasting agenda of transformative constitutionalism, this article discusses the notion of social solidarity, positing it as a theory through which social order can be achieved and sustained. This is premised on the importance of equal love, respect and compassion towards the underprivileged indigent people. Explicitly, humanity thrives when indigent people lacking the means of survival receives assistance. This effectively reinforces social order and that desired cohesion, which through social solidarity enables the value of Ubuntu to find expression with ease. Significantly, this article reveals that social solidarity is inherently under siege owing to pervasive problems of poverty, unemployment, inequalities and corruption, bedeviling the country in socio-economic realities. It is asserted that social solidarity is a noble normative ethic which is indispensable for the livelihood of human kind because it is capable of inspiring long-term solutions towards all societal problems.