1.

State Owned Enterprises in post-apartheid South Africa have played a significant role in the socio-economic upliftment of communities through employment opportunities in public service. The commercialisation of State Owned Enterprises to strategically become profitable has been rooted in the Constitutional mandate for government to enable the enjoyment of socio-economic rights such as education, sanitation, healthcare and social welfare for all, equally. Furthermore, the deliberate effort of State Owned Enterprises to invest in social infrastructure and transformative objectives that intend to ‘heal the wounds of the past’ has been exemplary in particular through the notion of restorative justice.

2.

This report interrogates solutions that help us reimage an era of State Owned Enterprises that are serving communities, enabling society to equally flourish and providing dignified services embedded in quality. Despite, the degradation and degeneration of State Owned Enterprises; this report signals a pathway into shifting the socio-political power of State Owned Enterprises as central to systems change that is coordinated by a consultative process of inclusion, diversity and the politics of affection.

3.

As much as State Owned Enterprises have undoubtedly been critical in redressing inequalities of the past, they have also been crucial in paving the way for a new economic and political power dynamic in South Africa. Post -994 democratic elections, saw a rise in black executives leading State Owned Enterprises; showcasing the deracialisation of economic power, restructuring of political power which allowed for government to ideate and curate social impact interventions such as the Reconstruction and Development Programme in South Africa.