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What role does civil society play in resisting a hostile and interfering government? In this episode of the ‘Solutions With David Ansara’ podcast, I speak with Rob Hutchinson, the founder and Chairman of civil society organisation DearSA, about how to become an active citizen.

Rob and I discuss his reasons for starting DearSA, and how its public participation process differs from traditional approaches, such as petitions.

DearSA achieved prominence during the Covid-19 lockdowns, but its work is not over. Rob shines some light on the SA government’s ongoing Covid regulations, and reveals DearSA’s plans to challenge the validity of the National Health Amendment Bill in court.

We also discuss how DearSA leverages technology to reach audiences online, as well as its funding model and future objectives.

We close the conversation by reflecting on the state of democracy in South Africa, and why it is important for ordinary people to make their voices heard.

contributor

David Ansara is the Chief Executive of the Free Market Foundation (FMF), a classical liberal think tank headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa. David has 15 years’ experience working for think tanks, consultancies and trade associations. He is a strong advocate for individual liberty and market-based approaches to public policy. David holds a Master’s degree in Political Science from the University of Cape Town.