Introduction: Post-Apartheid Community-Based Activism—Mandla Majola and the Struggle for Social, Economic, and Health Equity

The introduction provides the context for community-based, human rights activism in contemporary South Africa and explains why Mandla Majola, who is the focus of this book, exemplifies the dedicated commitment to activism in the post-apartheid decades. Though liberated from apartheid in 1994, many Black South Africans—particularly those living in the townships of informal settlements—still do not have social and economic rights or access to even the most basic of needs—sanitation and sustainable housing. Mandla Majola and his fellow activists bring the energy and camaraderie of their solidarity to challenging the current democratic government.