Siyabonga Ntombela
Durban - I have come to understand protests over service delivery as a mechanism through which marginalised communities de-legitimise non-performing leaders.
The association of violence and protest reflects deep-seated fits of anger and frustrations of vulnerable community members, recently exacerbated by the scourge of Covid-19 pandemic, corruption, and the absence of leadership in the area.
It then makes it easy to think of service delivery protests as violent, spontaneous, unco-ordinated demonstrations of people consumed by a sense of entitlement to free services.
Alternatively, maybe, there exists another dimension, where service delivery protests are a mechanism of capturing the public’s attention and the higher structures of government leadership to the absence of a legitimate leader.
The recent violent protest in Quarry Road informal settlement near M19, lived up to the familiar America maxim, “the streets are talking”.
For a community of about 100 households to use one toilet, should be an issue of concern for the ward 23 councillor Xolani Nala and ought to be as the top of his to-do-list.
Instead of Nala speaking on the issues, Mbongeni Jali, a resident took it upon himself to alert the public about what was happening through an interview with Dasen Thathiah on eNCA. Jali mentions the illegal electricity connections acknowledging the wrongness of their actions, but they have limited choices as the community they also need electricity.
In a country where the power utility supplier is struggling to deliver on its mandate, with more than 10 municipalities owing Eskom R43.9 billion, as stated by the Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan, the need to power has never been as urgent as now.
The eThekwini municipality Energy Unit visited the area to disconnect illegally connected electricity to curb this aberrant practice and to reduce unaccounted expenditures for the city. The absence of Nala during the disconnections fuelled an already volatile situation, and to ignore the calls, created a wrong impression of him towards the community.
Missing in action at a decisive moment when people need a leader is discrediting and suicidal of one’s career.
Even the eNCA reporter tried to reach Nala, but he remained unreachable. His actions are quite telling of a leader who no longer enjoys the support of the community, and has lost legitimacy and credibility with his constituency.
Character and headship of legitimate leaders are displayed through one’s service to the community.
A leader afraid of his people proves he has lost legitimacy, control and recognition. Now, how can communities express their frustrations?
Generally, they draw the public and media attention with the hope of seizing the national leadership’s attention and intervention.
Also, frustrated communities are sending a call to say, the current local leadership is illegitimate and is no longer representing the community.
We have seen in many service delivery protests, ward councillors failing to address the media personnel. Instead of community leaders speak on behalf of the community.
Like in the case of Quarry Road informal settlement, Jali filling a space that ought to be occupied by a ward councillor. Although at a glance, service protests seem to be about service rendered, but zooming in, they are extremely political.
The Municipal IQ reports that service delivery protests tend to heighten towards the elections. With the 2021 local government elections fast approaching, those after the positions of leadership manufacture various campaigning strategies, seeking recognition and support from the masses.
They use protests to create visibility, looking to obtain authorised legitimacy status within and eventually without the community.
It is no surprise to witness an increase in service delivery protests at this juncture across South Africa.
Not so long ago, the community of Osizweni, Newcastle, Kwazulu-natal embarked on a violent service delivery protest lamenting the poor waste collection service.
In addition to the grievances, was the expulsion of waste collectors who claim the Newcastle Municipality owe them overtime back payments.
When SABC journalist, Mlondi Radebe, asked Bandile Msibi, the organiser of Newcastle Deserve Better, what is the aim of the protest, his response vindicated the claim made in this article when he said: “Is to (call) the ANC Provincial leadership to (intervene) in this matter, to remove the mayor of Newcastle”.
Here, Msibi speaking is calling for the ousting of Mayor Ntuthuko Mahlaba. The Covid-19 food parcel corruption associated with some ward councillors suspected of hoarding food parcel targeted to vulnerable families, or distributing them according to political affiliations has further exacerbated the predicaments of poor communities.
I would not be surprised to see communities in areas where councillors accused of stealing and looting government assistance meant for low-income families engaging in what Mary de Haas – community activist, calls “the boil over into overt violence”. Meaning, the violent protests are a resultant of deep-rooted issues that are not addressed by those mandated to do so.
Since nature does not allow vacuum factions within communities capitalising on the shortcomings of failing local leaders and an attempt to fill in the void becomes apparent for the other group. Sometimes community leaders get sabotaged externally by opposite assemblages.
However, equally, they are capable of self-imposing as no longer legitimate through non-performance in the area of inviting government services to the community, and their inability to frown upon any creeping corruption tendencies that seek to undermine their authority and integrity.
Therefore, public officials, especially ward councillors, need to guard against community perceptions.
The measure of a leader is always based on the ability to serve.
When people are rising up against the state, a leader ought to remain visible taking charge of the situation and drive a noble narrative.
Local leaders ought to remain legitimate public figures, always upright in conduct instilling confidence and hope in the community and shying away from corrupt tendencies.
* Siyabonga Ntombela is a lecturer in International and Public Affairs (IPA) cluster, School of Social Sciences at the University of Kwazulu-Natal.
** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media.