Service delivery

Understanding the history, content and character of ‘violent’ protest

26th July 2016 Dale McKinley 0

Dale McKinley argues that the response of the police is the source of violence during protests.
If we are to believe the mainstream media and most political parties then it would appear as though South Africa is under a massive assault from ‘violent’ protests.
According to this storyline, it is the protestors (whether community members, organised workers or other political/social activists) who are blindly engaging in ever-increasing acts of wanton violence. In doing so, the argument goes, such ‘violence’ is undermining the ‘peace and stability’ of the ‘nation’ as well as the ‘rule of law’ which is being defended by the ANC/state, the police and law-abiding citizens.

Kliptown residents want houses as promised in the Freedom Charter

26th July 2016 Ramatamo wa Matamong 0

Adopted in Kliptown in 1955, the Freedom Charter and its demands became a rallying point for many in the struggle against apartheid. Sixty one years later, the Charter has consistently been at the centre of key theoretical and political debates.
When Kliptown residents see different political parties flooding their area, informal settlement residents of the iconic Kliptown in the South of Johannesburg don’t need to look at their calendar to confirm that it is election season.

No lack of service delivery will stop us from voting say Duncan Village residents

26th July 2016 Elitsha reporters 0

If it is not blocked toilets, then it’s garbage piling up next to people’s homes. But the community of Duncan Village in East London say they know the importance of voting.
It was a sunny Sunday when Elitsha visited the area. Most people were busy doing their washing, some sitting next to their shacks. There were political party representatives who were busy doing door to door campaigning.

Orange Farm protestors demand the removal of councillor

25th May 2016 Dibuseng Phaloane 0

Prolonged violent service delivery protest in Orange Farm south of Johannesburg caused disruptions that brought the township to a stand still.
The Golden and N1 highways were both closed with burning tyres and rocks causing traffic jams in and around Orange Farm.  The number of schools closed increased from 4 to 12 in just 3 days. Students were forced to join the protest. Foreign shop owners donated hundreds of loaves of bread and drinks to protesters to avoid looting of their shops after one of them shot and wounded a 15 year-old boy who was allegedly trying to loot during the protest.

East London women suffer water outages

25th May 2016 Anele Mbi 0

Women in informal settlements of East London were the hardest hit by the recent water outages. Even though areas like Braelyn Extension and Nkandla informal settlement experienced water outages for only three days, the impact was huge and immeasurable.

Gogo’s miserable life without electricity

25th May 2016 Ramatamo wa Matamong 0

After 22 years of democracy she feels betrayed and denied her most basic right.
She is 78 years old, stays alone, and most of all without electricity for years. This is the story of Gogo Veronica Jacobs of Alexandra, north of Johannesburg. She said for countless times she tried appealing to the powers that be to connect her to this basic service but her attempts were fruitless. Though her room is neatly wired, there is no electricity flowing into it.

Shulana Court evicted via the backdoor

8th December 2015 Nicolas Dieltiens 0

Shulana Court is a small, building in Yeoville close to Hillbrow. Seventy-odd year-old Aaron Mbatha, stayed there for over 20 years until he and all the other residents were thrown out. The Hawks descended on the building, searching for four members of the tenants’ committee. Just two were unfortunate to be at home at the time, but the police arrested all the residents.

Public transport users feel the pain

8th December 2015 Siphiwo Nkonki 0

Despite the South African government declaring the month of October as transport month, public transport in South Africa is still a big problem. October has come and gone but commuters in Khayelitsha township in Cape Town are frustrated with public transport.
For many people who rely on trains, buses or minibus taxis to go to and from work, public transport is dysfunctional.

COSATU can learn from Corbyn to avoid slipping into irrelevance

8th December 2015 Terry Bell 0

“The ANC came before democracy.” This statement by President Jacob Zuma was obviously incorrect since the concept of democracy pre-dated the formation of the ANC in 1912 by about 2,500 years.
It came to us from the ancient Greeks who also provided the term, taken from demos (people) and kratos (power). However Zuma did go on to explain that he meant his comment to apply to South Africa where the first non-racial parliamentary elections were staged 82 years after the birth of what became the ANC.
This, along with comments made at last week’s Cosatu congress, put the whole question of what democracy means into focus. At the same time, the media was again accused of misleading the voting public and so undermining both the ANC and its trade union partner.
But does universal adult suffrage — votes for all to a parliament — equal democracy? And is the media really able, to a large degree, to manipulate public opinion and, therefore, harm the trade union movement and the country?

‘If bra Steve were to observe the crisis of today’s youth, he would definitely cry’

8th December 2015 Anele Mbi 0

In August 2015, residents from Ginsberg blockaded roads demanding better roads and other services from the local municipality. In the following month of September, the month when the founder of Black Conciousness in South Africa, Steve Biko, saw a number of political parties coming to Ginsberg to commemorate the 38th year since Steve Biko was killed. The political parties were the ANC, EFF and the DA.

Uneasy truce at COSATU

18th October 2015 Muzi Mzoyi 0

On the 13th and the 14th of July 2015 COSATU held its Special National Congress after nearly two years since NUMSA and other affiliates called for it. The special national congress was to allow COSATU’s highest and most democratic decision-making structure to deal decisively with the conflict and divisions in the federation. But after the expulsion of NUMSA and later COSATU General Secretary Zwelinzima Vavi, the narrative changed for those affiliates who felt that both Vavi and NUMSA were hard done by.