Shrinking Civic Space: Why protecting the right to organise matters

In South Africa, the manifestations of these are led by the political and ruling elite punting narratives that project civil society as “antidevelopment”, “regime change agents”

As the Centre for Environmental Rights hosts its annual Rights and Remedies School, bringing together activists from across South Africa, it is impossible to ignore the increasingly hostile environment into which they will return.

Across South Africa, individuals and community movements that organise, advocate and demand accountability are increasingly confronted by efforts to delegitimise their work. Through polarising political rhetoric, misinformation and attempts to cast civic action as a threat rather than a democratic necessity, activists are often portrayed as obstacles to development rather than defenders of constitutional rights. This narrowing of public discourse poses a profound challenge not only to environmental and social justice movements, but to democracy itself. For when those who speak out in defense of their communities are silenced, undermined or demonised, it is not only their rights that are under threat, but the very principles of participation, transparency and accountability on which our constitutional order depends.

The state of shrinking civic space and the impact this has on communities’ ability to build movements, organise and mobilise for sociopolitical and economic change, protecting democratic values, should be embedded within how movements envision their evolution. In the face of this reality, civil society needs to chart an alternative by employing a much more solid collective organising based on meaningful solidarity and push back against the weaponisation of the state for ulterior motives.

We are witnessing this within both the rise of authoritarian elements within our “democratic” government; where powerful actors, often driven by corporate and capitalistic intentions of governments aiming to maximise profit at the expense of citizens’ rights, take centre stage in defining what ought to be viewed as a narrative seeking to establish a situation de facto that perpetuates societal discord against civil society. A clear collusion between the state and private corporations’ interests at times manifest in a much more sophisticated use of lawfare.

In South Africa, the manifestations of these are led by the political and ruling elite punting narratives that project civil society as “antidevelopment”, “regime change agents”. In worst cases, as witnessed in some countries, the manifestation of this modus operandi takes the form of legal and administrative strategies. With governments actively and administratively imposing restrictions on the ability for communities, the broader citizenry and civil society’s ability to organise, protest and dissent. These can be viewed as an existential threat to human rights and the communities’ ability to actively participate in decision making processes that have a direct impact on their lives.

We see the key drivers and tactics that are often used include targeting foundation of public participation through:

Thami Nkosi is an activist with the Support & Training Programme and coordinator for the Centre for Environmental Rights.