Reflexive insights on networking, solidarity, and community activism spaces for violence prevention in post-COVID-19 South Africa
AI Summary
Networking and solidarity mitigated COVID-19 harms and fostered enduring, community-led frameworks for violence prevention.
Community activism spaces enabled participatory responses that addressed structural disparities and strengthened collective agency for safety and justice.
The study recommends shifting from top-down interventions to grounded, participatory strategies centring solidarity, collective agency, and social transformation.
Int J Inj Contr Saf Promot. 2026 Jul 24:1-19. doi: 10.1080/17457300.2026.2689075. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic deepened the existing vulnerabilities marginalized South African communities face daily, and intensified risk factors for injury and violence while disrupting established prevention mechanisms. This paper will examine the transformative potential of networking, solidarity, and community activism spaces post-COVID in advancing violence prevention within the South African context, where communities continue to contend with structural disparities and enduring levels of interpersonal violence. Using a qualitative case study design, this study draws on individual interviews conducted in a local Western Cape community. Thematic analysis was employed. The findings illustrate how networking, solidarity-driven approaches and community activism spaces not only mitigated the immediate impacts of COVID-19 but also generated sustainable frameworks for community-led violence prevention. The findings call for a shift from top-down interventions to grounded, participatory, community-based strategies that position solidarity and collective agency as central to achieving safety, justice, and social transformation.
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