11/11/2026
Day 2 of the 3rd Planning Indaba featured a keynote address by Prof Somadoda Fikeni, Chairperson of the Public Service Commission of South Africa, on spatial, social and environmental justice. He noted that the profession meets at a time of rapid technological advancement, growing migration pressures, changing family structures and persistent inequality, and he reflected on what these realities mean for planners.
Prof Fikeni reminded delegates that planning is as old as humanity itself, shaped by people’s need for shelter, community, spiritual life and a sustainable relationship with their environment. He cautioned that the weakening of planning has created many of today’s challenges, and that segregated planning creates conflict. He also highlighted the gap between traditional authorities and municipalities, observing that South Africa’s systems may be sound on paper but often work differently on the ground.
He encouraged planners to ask difficult questions as the legacy of the Indaba, to value heritage as part of their practice and to be trained in how to think, not only how to remember. In the discussion that followed, he identified the urban-rural divide as one of the biggest challenges facing the country.
We thank Prof Fikeni for his thought-provoking address.
