The Phenomenon of Protests in South Africa

Protest has always been a catalyst for social change in South Africa.

Protests in the struggle against apartheid, to oppose a system which marginalized and oppressed black South Africans, is evidence of the power of protest to bring about change.

The state, private institutions and the police have often responded to protests with violence and intimidation. Recent history is filled with instances of violent repression. The police have used  tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets against protestors.

Research shows that protest is often a last resort which communities turn to when other participatory mechanisms have failed.

Some popular media can be  quick to portray a protest as violent because protestors carry ceremonial weapons, for example forgetting that the police are carrying, and have been known to use, far more lethal weapons.

Not all protests are aimed at the state or state institutions, many protests challenge other citizens or private institutions. They challenge the status quo.

The #Khwezi protest where four women silently protested by holding up placards affirming ‘Khwezi’, former President Jacob Zuma’s rape accuser in front of the former president.

“Patterns have started emerging. Criminals within the township have taken advantage of the relative chaos. These are mostly young men who tend to emerge at night or after trouble has already started. Young women, on the other hand, are constantly at the coal face, and tend to be mightily militant”, remarks Phillip de Wet, "Themb' elihle: A breakdown of ingredients for a service delivery riot" Daily Maverick (8 September 2011).