COVID-19, Rural Livelihoods and Human Rights: A South African Perspective

Abstract

This article describes how the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed and worsened the existing social and economic conditions of rural people in South Africa, how their livelihoods have been affected and how their rights have been violated as a result. The rights considered and discussed include those contained in the South African Bill of Rights with a particular focus on socio-economic rights which, by their very nature, have important social and economic dimensions. The implications of these social and economic dimensions on rural people under the COVID-19 pandemic are discussed. The article partly adopts a qualitative research methodology in which information gathered through interviews, webinar discussions, and workshops with various stakeholders and participants are presented and analysed. The paper also discusses the balance between the need to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic through lockdown measures, the impact of these measures on rural livelihoods, and the constitutional requirement to protect human rights. The paper concludes with recommendations, including adopting a human rights-based approach to minimize the impact of COVID-19 on rural livelihoods.