Introduction: Special issue on ‘The Covid-19 Pandemic, Inequalities and Human Rights in South Africa’, part 2

Abstract

The South African Journal on Human Rights and the NRF South African Research Chair in Equality, Law and Social Justice are pleased to publish the second part of our special double issue on ‘ The Covid-19 Pandemic, Inequalities and Human Rights in South Africa ’ . We publish this in the wake of continuing evidence of the race, gender and class inequalities that were reflected, deepened and reproduced by the pandemic and by government responses to it. Research has continued to confirm the dire socio-economic and health consequences of the pandemic. Furthermore, it is increasingly argued that the deepening poverty and inequality under the epidemic 1 is, at least partly, due to the fact that successive lockdowns failed to account sufficiently for ‘ realities like poverty, food insecurity, gender-based violence and insecure housing ’ . 2 As we know, this tracks South Africa ’ s historic and deeply embedded lines of race, gender and class disadvantage. These high structural inequalities also shaped the increased risk of severe illness and death, arising out of Covid-19 infection, among black South Africans. 3 Since the start of the pandemic in early 2020, the publication of successive regulations under the Disaster Management Act 57 of 2002 and quite extensive litigation 4 has meant that the pandemic has been extensively regulated and governed through law.