A two-day protest march in Hlala, Kanana, in which tyres were burnt and roads barricaded was a plea for service delivery. There was also a protest march and incidents of public violence in Ventersdorp, during which a truck and a police vehicle were doused and set alight. The residents are considering a class action against the NW 405 for what they call an inhumane debt collection policy.

According to an NWU political analyst,  Prof. André Duvenhage, these constitute an unstable political environment in both the province and the smaller district.

In his analysis, Duvenhage says this is due to a combination of factors – socio-economic, political (factionalism, corruption, nepotism etc) and a culture of violence.

‘Poor service delivery and financial mismanagement also seem to be big challenges. I understand that capacity, especially at a technical level, is another obstacle in Potchefstroom at the moment.

‘In Ventersdorp, we seem to be dealing with a total implosion of some sort. It is common knowledge that the ANC’s support base in Potchefstroom has been on the decline in recent times and the amalgamation with Ventersdorp was politically motivated -it was about the survival of the ANC in Potchefstroom. The merger was not a big success and both environments are dissatisfied with the current state of affairs,’ he said. Duvenhage added that another factor is the divisions within the ANC in the build-up to the ANC’s national conference. ‘In general, this is not a healthy political environment,’ he concluded.