Government inaction, violent protests aimed at inaction will be the end of SA

For those of us who prefer to use public transport to go to work – a saviour amid soaring petrol prices – Monday went down as a rude awakening.

The blockade of major roads in Soweto by protesting members of the community saw the popular Rea Vaya service halted and buses stopped from operating.

Using boulders to barricade some Rea Vaya main bus routes in Pimville, Orlando, Jabavu and Jabulani, residents rendered streets impassable, much to the annoyance of taxi drivers and commuters heading to work.

The Soweto blockade also had an impact for people using Gautrain. If you had deposited enough cash in your Gautrain ticket to catch a Rea Vaya bus upon disembarking at Gautrain Park Station, closed Rea Vaya station shutters was what awaited you in Johannesburg.

About 45 000 commuters were stranded.

Protesters’ gripes ranged from seeking solutions from Eskom and the City of Joburg on the inefficiency of prepaid meters and blackouts.

Also Read: Let Eskom take over, fed-up Nelson Mandela Bay chamber asks Nersa

With Eskom having lost R9 million through cable theft over a year from March last year, which the power utility claimed contributed to power cuts, it is clear government and civil society should collaborate to fight the scourge.

Given the poor communication between citizens and government, I had no difficulty understanding what led to residents seething with anger. But I had every reason to be angry at the type of protest the group chose to drive home a message of displeasure at lack of service delivery.

With South Africa being a constitutional democracy, the right to free speech and holding a protest to mobilise for a legitimate cause is enshrined in the constitution. But the right to protest should not infringe on the rights of others.

It can only be defined as lawlessness when others are inconvenienced by the actions of protesters – being at the mercy of law enforcement agencies for protection – wondering helplessly while Rome burns.

A week before the violent Soweto protest, the country was reeling from a blockade by truck drivers in KwaZulu-Natal. It took the blocking of the N3 highway at the strategic Van Reenen’s Pass – costing the economy billions – for the government to swing into action, by coming up with an inter-ministerial committee on trucking and logistics.

Also Read: Here’s government’s action plan to end protests in trucking industry

Roads along the very important N3 that joins KZN’s port cities of Durban and Richards Bay to the interior were affected.

An 11-point “action plan” was released, in the hope that such truck blockades would not recur.

Have we not travelled this route before? The more things change, the more they stay the same.

For the past five years, we have witnessed South African truck drivers and emerging industry players periodically using trucks to blockade routes demanding that they be prioritised over foreigners.

Claims that SA employers overlook locals for non-unionised foreign nationals – too eager to accept meagre salaries – have not been addressed.

Also Read: N3 blocks by truck drivers ‘hurt economy’

Instead of addressing core problems in the trucking industry and what has given rise to the blockading of streets in key parts of Soweto, government had a kneejerk response.

We have witnessed doublespeak from Pretoria, with ministers too guarded in their response to real problems facing society in case they are seen to be “supporting xenophobia”.

Violent protests and government indecision are bad for the country.