Forgotten, fed up and fighting for a better life
Without economic growth, the recent wave of violent protests across SA may be just the beginning, write Karen Heese and Kevin Allan
People who live in Gauteng or who listen to traffic reports for the province would have been aware that in May, there was an explosion of service delivery protests, especially in the south of Johannesburg. They raised demands for job creation, economic development and service delivery (most commonly housing). Their potency and violence, which lasted several days and spread to neighbouring areas, were disconcerting for the authorities. Unpacking the data confirms service delivery protests in May hit a record monthly high, with 40% more than a previous (May) 2012 record. The data also provide another worrying finding: while a significant 38% of May’s protests took place in Gauteng, protest activity was also pronounced in other provinces, notably the North West and KwaZulu-Natal at 18% and 16%, of the May service delivery protests respectively. As a result, 2017’s tally of major service delivery protests is already breaching the relatively high range of the past five years. By the end ...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.