Consultancy says the latest unrest, notably looting, di…
Damage to the Jabulani Mall in Soweto, Johannesburg. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)
The consulting firm Municipal IQ, which among other things monitors and compiles data on the South African phenomenon of service protests, has highlighted how these events differ from the recent wave of looting in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, in which hundreds of people were killed.
First published in Daily Maverick 168 weekly newspaper.
“While the service provision protests are spread across South Africa in any given month, the vast majority of recent riots have occurred in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. [66% and 33%, respectively], and on subways [66%]“Said the consultancy.
But the most glaring difference is in the L-word – looting.
“While protests in the delivery of services can degenerate into looting, most protests tend to be tangential and happen where protests are staged rather than the focus of protests,” noted Municipal IQ.
In fact, in 2021, only 16% of the service-providing protests counted so far saw looting, compared to 71% of the recent riots, widely believed to be partially sparked by the imprisonment of former President Jacob Zuma.
“Most of the protests over the provision of services, including those billed as #Shutdowns, are not due to looting, but rather to company closings. The organizers also distance themselves from such incidents when they occur, ”said municipal IQ economist Karen Heese.
Some targets of the recent riots – such as distribution points, medical facilities and radio stations – remained intact during the service-providing protests.
But service delivery protests – which are a common feature of the South African landscape (municipal IQ had risen over 2,000 since 2004) – are the template for unrest. Municipal IQ notes that this could be the reason the police misinterpreted what was going on on the spot.
“Service delivery protests tend to linger in the areas where they break out, with police monitoring the periphery. It is possible that this approach was taken to deal with the recent unrest without considering the scale of the looting, which should develop to the point where the numbers became overwhelming, “the consultancy said.
“In the future – and this may affect the monitoring of protests in the provision of services – there could be stricter protection of national roads and truck drivers, as such incidents could potentially create a spiral and affect economic activity.” DM168
This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168, which is available to Pick n Pay smart shoppers free of charge at this Pick n Pay stores until July 24, 2021. From July 31, 2021, DM168 for R25 will be available at Pick n Pay, Exclusive Books and airport bookstores.
