Briefing Paper

South Africans Generally Tolerant but Report Racial Discrimination by Employers and Courts

“2016 is a landmark year in South Africa’s nation-building process. April 15 marked the 20th anniversary of the first hearings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), which sought “to provide for the investigation and the establishment of as complete a picture as possible of the nature, causes and extent of gross violations of human rights” committed
during apartheid (Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, 2009). The TRC has served as a model for transitional justice in Africa and globally, though it has faced criticism for failing to address structural injustices. Over the past few months, racist rhetoric on social and traditional media has renewed the national debate on discrimination and the lack of socioeconomic transformation since the transition from apartheid.”