South Africa is in turmoil
Richard Moleofe | Wednesday February 19, 2014 17:18
There are several questions that need answers around the issue of violence. Why are South Africans angry and why are they choosing methods of protest that often end in loss of life?
In April this year, South Africans will celebrate 20 years of freedom. Before this freedom was ushered in, protests were the order of the day in Botswana’s neighbor to the south.
The United Democratic Front (UDC) was determined to make the country ungovernable, and it succeeded as the white minority regime ultimately gave in and unbanned all political organisations, with the release of Mandela from incarceration as the cherry on top.
At the time, protests were characterised by hordes of young people who were clearly determined to risk their lives for the freedom of their land. These were freedom fighters on the streets of Soweto, Langa and Gugulethu, among other hotspots.
But what is the current crop of protesters? It is largely the youth, as was the case in the late 1980s. But among today’s protesters, there is a strong presence of the criminal element of thugs and looters. It defeats the imagination how a genuine service delivery protest can culminate in the burning of classrooms and public libraries. It seems the service delivery protests are meant to act against existing services instead of pressurizing government to deliver more on its promise of bringing services to the people.
In actual fact, this year alone, South Africa has been driven back in terms of development because in the course of these protests, bituminized roads are destroyed with burning tyres, police stations are petrol bombed, road signage ripped out of the ground and shops looted.
This happens while the police have been reduced to mere spectators when they should be doing their best to protect lives and property. After the Marikana massacre of mine protesters by the police, the officers have come under a strict regimen of how to behave in such situations. However, it is also interesting that when they do act, the police unleash disproportional force that results in loss of life, as has been the case with Andries Tatane in the Free State Province and four others during the recent Mothotlung service delivery protests.
The police need to balance their intervention instead of being either spectators or a force of brutality. They need to find the middle ground in order to effectively protect the lives and property of South Africans and their visitors.
But how can the South African government come out of this political crossroads? The government needs to go back to the drawing table and re-evaluate how far it has gone with the initial promise - the promise for “a better South Africa for all”. But far from it, it seems that while the youth are busy looting shops in the name of service delivery protest, the political leadership is busy looting national coffers.
This is evidenced in the Nkandlagate scandal, the arms deal and many other instances of corruption. The looting by the political leadership ultimately frustrates the masses that in turn resort to violence in their demand for what is rightfully theirs. In his State of the Nation address recently, President Jacob Zuma talked about his government’s achievements of the past year and looked to the future by presenting a programme of action for the New Year. Zuma seemed to undermine the genuine grievances that fuel the ongoing service delivery protests. He mentioned them only briefly, saying such action was expected because those who have not received services are envious of those who have.
Surely the President has been misdirected by his advisers because the potential of these demonstrations for total chaos is serious, to say the least.
There is a growing imbalance in South African society. The rich are getting richer while the abjection of the poor worsens, making them increasingly weary of the promise of “a better South Africa for all”.
The government needs to act swiftly to address this growing discontent in the broad South African population. If this is not addressed urgently, it could deteriorate into a revolution of frightful proportions, with implications for the country’s neighbours. The yeast of violence fermenting throughout the fabric of society in South Africa.
* Rev. Richard Moleofe is a political and social commentator.