SPECIALISS FEATURE
Lessons in preventing violent protest in South Africa Good communication and respectful responses to local service delivery problems may prevent anger and violence. By Chandré Gould of the Institute for Security Studies. First published by ISS TODAY – https://issafrica.org/iss-today/ lessons-in-preventing-violent-protest-in-south-africa
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t is very difficult to show or prove that something did not happen because of action taken to prevent it. This is one of the challenges facing anyone working to prevent violence. So, when one actually witnesses actions that prevent violence, this is a good opportunity to draw lessons. I had this opportunity over the past ten days, when water was cut off for seven days to the communities of Hoekwil and Touwsranten in the Eden district of the Western Cape in South Africa, where I live. Anyone privileged enough to have water gush out of a tap in their house every time they open it knows how frustrating it is when that luxury is no longer available. For those who have to collect water outside from a communal tap, the challenges are even greater. Add a baby, or an incontinent elderly family member, or a child with diarrhoea, and
you have an incendiary mix – and an example of gendered, structural violence. The Institute for Security Studies’ Public Violence and Protest Monitor shows that in South Africa, frustrations with water and sanitation delivery failures resulted in 585 cases of public protest between January 2013 and April 2021. Of those incidents, 378 (65%) turned violent (see graph). The protests directly affected over 57 000 people. This is if one tallies only the number estimated to have been involved in the demonstrations. It does not include those affected because roads were blocked or infrastructure damaged or because they were police officers or health workers who responded. The number of people indirectly affected by not having access to water or sanitation is far greater. The cost to the government, communities and individuals is vast – probably far greater than it
would have cost to fix the problem that caused the anger in the first place. Why did the lack of water not lead to violence in Hoekwil and Touwsranten? It was not because we have not experienced violent protests in the past, or because there is something special about this small town, nor is it because it is a small town. Indeed, a significant number of protests in response to water and sanitation failures were in small or medium-sized towns in all provinces across the country. Rather, violence in Hoekwil and Touwsranten was prevented due to four key factors. The first was good communication via multiple platforms. When a main water pipe burst and water was cut off, residents were informed within 24 hours what the problem was, what was being done to fix it and how long it would take for water to be restored. Messages came from the mayor, local councillors, people
Water and sanitation delivery failures saw 585 public protests between January 2013 and April 2021 18
SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA MAY 2021
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