Abstract
Popular across townships of South Africa are protests that are accompanied by increasing violence. The context of violent protests is communities uncertified with the service delivery which in some cases leave them without basics such as water, electricity, un-serviced roads, and sometimes municipalities failing to collect rubbish beans. The increase in violent public protests is an important phenomenon to understand because it is taking place 30 years after South Africa gained democracy which promised inclusion and equality for previously marginalized groups. Engaging with community members shows that violent protest creates fragmented communities, threatening unity in the future. Important intersections of concern that communities of Inanda and Kwamashu townships speak (1) race discourse (2) structural violence highlighted by high rate of unemployed youth (3) politics related to upcoming elections (4) lack of communal healing from previous oppressive systems. The study used mixed methods and is qualitative in nature. Youth between the ages of 19-35 took part in the study. Political leaders, community elders, church and youth organisation leaders were consulted to gain more perspective. Results show that as violent protests increase community members have lost trust in the government in relation to improved livelihood, and further, that communities in the townships use violence public protests to fight each other, not only against the government. Lastly, the study posits that the positions in which political parties find themselves post-2024 election could result to what the country experienced during the 2021 looting and violent events.
Presenters
Nyameka SpamboLecture/Academic Researcher, School of Human and Community Development, Wits University, South Africa
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Public Health Policies and Practices
KEYWORDS
Violent Protests, Townships, Youth, Intersectionality, Community Fragmentation
