The political system is not working in Jozi and very few avenues for action
Michael O'Donovan from Ward 88 says unless violence and fire accompany community protest, authorities seldom take concerns seriously.
Last year many residents in and around Ward 88 took to the streets to peacefully protest the lack of service delivery to the area.
Their efforts though, fell on deaf ears in the city and the momentum for continued action has slowly fallen.
One of the leaders, Michael O’Donovan says options in this scenario are limited.
“Individuals have very limited agency but finding renewable sources of energy for collective action is extremely difficult.”
He says those that can afford to, might sink a borehole for water, get solar panels for power or emigrate to the Western Cape if the situation becomes untenable.
For those that can’t, they have very few alternatives.
Read more: Proof of an address is not a requirement to register as a voter – IEC
“We can protest, but if it is done peacefully then it is unlikely to achieve anything. Voting helps some but the opportunity to vote only comes around every few years and again, is no guarantee of a shift in service delivery from the city.”
He says people who can’t move or become self-supplying will become more and more frustrated, but it won’t be ‘useful energy’.
“Protest actions in townships are not ignored out of turn like ours was because they are not calm, organised and respectful. Political heads need to respond in some way to prevent violence from breaking out or to prevent unrest from spreading.”
Read more: South Africa, a leader in gender equality in politics
He says for areas like Ward 88 there are only three options: retreat, escalate efforts or ‘fix it yourself’.
“We have chosen to retreat from pointless protest and communities are doing their best to pick up the slack.”
This last option is where individuals and organised community groups for example clean parks themselves, skoffle the roads, fix potholes or help ease access to electrical infrastructure by holding City Power lock keys to speed up restoration following an electrical outage.
“This is almost the worst of both worlds – you are still paying for the service, but you are doing and are under legal threat if you repair a pothole for example without cumbersome wayleaves. You are also enabling mismanagement as entities don’t feel the pressure as problems are resolved quickly.”
“Despite all of this, we are all waiting to see what happens in the polls at the end of the month in the slim hope some resolve and efficacy comes with whoever is successful.”
Related article: Faith in IEC and political system is down – research shows
