EDITORIAL: Fragile SA pushed to edge by protests
The perfect storm – the consequence of years of neglect under former president Jacob Zuma – is beginning to whip up into a squall that, some fear, can’t be tamed
There’s a toxic brew bubbling under on the fringes of our country. Over the past few weeks, we’ve seen a sharp rise in protests around SA — be it increasingly volatile demonstrations near Hermanus, or in Mitchells Plain and the Bo-Kaap near Cape Town or in Centurion in Gauteng or in Kimberley. The country has seldom been so close to the edge.Part of it has to do with soaring living costs — something about which all political parties including, ironically, the ANC, have expressed concerns.Certainly, the combined knock of the 10.7% spike in the fuel price this year, the hike in VAT and further retrenchments are reverberating as the country enters election season.At the same time, nothing has shifted unemployment from its stubbornly high level of 36.7% (using the expanded definition). Few other democracies could tolerate the human impact of having more than a third of their labour force out of work. Here, we’ve done it for years.The perfect storm – the consequence of years of neglect u...
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.