At Khulisa, we work in places where the social fabric is worn thin – places where mistrust, violence, and systemic failure have made it hard for communities to come together around a shared purpose. And yet, time and again, we’ve seen the same truth emerge: when people are invited to speak, to be heard, and to build together, something powerful happens.

Recently, I listened to an audiobook about Ancient Greece—a period I hadn’t expected to find so relevant to our work in present-day South Africa. But what struck me was how those early thinkers grappled with the very same challenges we do today: how to foster shared responsibility, ethical leadership, and civic participation in divided societies.

In those early city-states, the Senate (or Boule) was introduced as a civic platform where citizens could deliberate, question authority, and shape public life. It was an imperfect model, yes—but the underlying belief was radical for its time: that ordinary people had a role to play in the future of their communities.

At Khulisa, that idea has always been central to our approach. We don’t arrive in communities with prescribed solutions. Instead, we create platforms—dialogue circles, narrative therapy spaces, restorative processes, and now AI-assisted social compacting tools—that allow people to reflect on their lived experience and co-design responses that work for them.

These community-led spaces are our modern version of the Senate. Not a chamber of the elite, but a space for everyone—school principals, shopkeepers, youth, taxi drivers, traditional leaders—to have a voice in shaping the collective future. In places like Postmasburg, Alexandra, Wedela, and Musina, we are working on facilitating social
compacts to take form: potential community-driven agreements that identify shared goals, clarify roles, and foster accountability among NGOs, government stakeholders, and residents themselves.

We don’t simply facilitate dialogue—we are working on embedding it into community structures, turning conversation into commitment. Technology is helping us deepen this work. Through our AI-supported systems, we can analyse themes from community conversations, spotlight emerging trends, and provide decision-makers with clear, actionable insights.

This innovation strengthens our ability to scale what works—without losing the human essence at the heart of every solution.
As we face complex challenges—from youth unemployment to gender-based violence—we are convinced that sustainable solutions won’t come from institutions alone. They will come from communities who are seen, equipped, and trusted to lead.

Listening to that audiobook was a timely reminder that what we are doing is not just innovative, it is timeless. Dialogue, reflection, and civic participation have always been the foundation of cohesive societies.

And in South Africa today, they are more essential than ever.