In one of our final discussions for Freedom Month, we  unpack the Quality of Life surveys that have been conducted in  South Africa in the last three decades. While South African  cities have higher quality of life scores than their African  counterparts, there are still major stumbling blocks facing a

citizen’s ability to access public goods, economic opportunities  and the protection of their social rights. 

We have seen that in the last five years, the COVID-19  pandemic highlighted some of the challenges facing citizens  when it comes to their proximity to poverty and glaring  inequalities during the lockdowns. How do we use these  indicators to change how we plan for better outcomes for this  nation in the next 30 years? We have brought together a panel  that can unpack what lessons we can take forward and how we  future-proof the quality of life toward an upward trajectory. 

Guest: Professor Alex van den Heever – Chair for Social Security Systems Administration and  Management Studies at Universoty of Witwatersrand

Guest: Dr. Steven Gordon - Senior Research  Specialist in the Developmental, Capable and Ethical State  (DCES) research division of the Human Sciences Research  Council (HSRC)