Abstract:
Protests for basic services in South Africa are a relatively new phenomenon.
Noticeably, they now happen almost on a daily basis. The manner in which
they manifest is at times worrisome. Under the new political dispensation after
1994, South Africa has seen an unprecedented mushrooming of protests for
services. Like other provinces across the country, Mpumalanga Province was
also hit by the protests for services between 2004 and 2010. Since 2008, Gert
Sibande District Municipality has experienced more intensified protests for
service delivery, wherein communities were mobilized and marched to various
local municipalities demanding improved services by these municipalities.
The study aimed to establish some of the sources of these protests, their
trends and their impact with the view to propose some solutions. To achieve
this goal, the study used document analysis and empirical data obtained
through interviews. Firstly, the study provides a historical background and
overview of the three municipalities which fall under Gert Sibande District
Municipality, namely: Msukaligwa, Mkhondo and Dr. Pixley Ka Isaka Seme. It
further investigates the causes of violent protests for services in these
municipalities. Attention is given to various pieces of legislation that establishes
Local Government in South Africa. The socio-economic conditions of the three
municipalities are also examined.
The key findings from the interviews that were conducted pointed out factors
that gave rise to the violent protests at the three municipalities. Amongst them
was that the protests were politically motivated. Some were caused by lack of
resource allocation and lack of human capacity to deliver services, lack of the
political will by both the political and government representatives to deliver on
their mandate, as well as the criminal elements that hijacked the protests. It is
the mandate of government to deliver quality services to the people
uninterrupted as prescribed by the Constitution. This will minimise the ongoing
protest for services in the country.
