Municipal unrest in the Free State (South Africa): a new form of social movement?

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Periodical article

Title:	Municipal unrest in the Free State (South Africa): a new form of social movement?
Author:	Marais, Lochner
Year:	2008
Periodical:	Politeia: Journal for Political Science and Public Administration
Volume:	27
Issue:	2
Pages:	51-69
Language:	English
Geographic term:	South Africa
Subjects:	municipal government local politics protest regional disparity
Abstract:	The unrest in the Phumelela Local Municipality, located in the northeastern part of the Free State, is presented as a case study of the local protests which South Africa has experienced since 2004-2005. The article argues that the local protests experienced in the Free State, and other parts of South Africa, are distinctly different from the types of social movements described in existing South African literature, which regards postapartheid social unrest as essentially anti-neoliberal and anti-cost-recovery in nature. These local protests cannot be referred to as fully-fledged social movements. A range of structural and systemic factors play a role in contributing to the protest. The issues at stake are real local service-delivery problems, mainly attributed to ineffective governance and management of basic service delivery in these areas. The article highlights the inability of municipal staff and governance structures to listen to people and manage their complaints effectively. Bibliogr., sum. [Journal abstract]