There is something tragic about the approach by some in the South African government to the challenge of public dissatisfaction and community protest. Tragic, because it fails to recognise that protest action is not purely criminal or irrational, but about issues of real or perceived neglect and deprivation.
These issues are deeply rooted in high levels of unemployment, poverty, poor service delivery and the absence of adequate housing and infrastructure. To make matters worse, many of these problems can be directly linked to inefficiency and corruption at local government level. It is also tragic because there is a clear belief among some that 'solving' the 'problem' requires applying more force, which only adds to perceptions of an insensitive, uncaring and unresponsive government.
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