2019 service delivery protests
| 2019 service delivery protests | |
|---|---|
| Date | 3 April 2019 - ongoing |
| Location | Urban areas of South Africa |
| Caused by | Lack of delivery of municipal services |
| Methods | |
| Resulted in | 2 deaths[1] multiple arrests property damage |
The 2019 service delivery protests refers to a series of protests and civil disturbances taking place across urban areas of South Africa related to poor service delivery that started in Alexandra on the 3 April 2019.[2][3] The Democratic Alliance (DA)[4] and Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) accused the African National Congress (ANC) of instigating and spreading the protests to discredit them in the run up to the 2019 South African general election.[5][6]
After starting in Alexandra on the 3 April the protestors marched to the wealthy nearby neighbourhood of Sandton five days later to gain more attention.[7] On the 9 April the trade union SAFTU stated their support for the protests and called on other areas in Gauteng province to join.[8] By the 11 April 2019 the protests had spread to other major cities in the rest of the country.[9] Other than Alexandra protests occurred in Tshwane,[10] Bekkersdal, Orange Grove,[11] Nomzamo[12] Lingelethu East,[13] Bergville,[14] Bekkersdal,[15] Caledon,[16] and Soweto.[17]
The major political parties traded accusations over the cause of the riots.[7] The ANC accused the DA of not effectively delivering services to the protesting communities[18] and the DA made a counter accusation that it was ANC governance in Johannesburg two years before was the root cause of poor service delivery in Alexandra.[19] The DA and EFF accused the ANC of causing the riots as part of their electioneering in the run up the general elections on the 8th May 2019.
References
- ^ "Two protesters killed during Soshanguve protest". News24. 2019-04-11. Retrieved 2019-04-12.
- ^ "#AlexTotalShutdown: 'We inherited a rot, a mess' - DA's Maimane". News24. 2019-04-03. Retrieved 2019-04-12.
- ^ Nyathi, Ayanda. "Alex residents vow to continue with protest until Ramaphosa, Makhura come". ewn.co.za. Retrieved 2019-04-11.
- ^ Tefu, Nyakallo. "DA to lay a criminal complaint against ANC for Alex protests". ewn.co.za. Retrieved 2019-04-11.
- ^ Mahlakoana, Theto. "EFF: Alex service delivery protest an opportunistic move by ANC". ewn.co.za. Retrieved 2019-04-11.
- ^ "'Service delivery protests are part of the ANC's plans to discredit the DA'". www.iol.co.za. Retrieved 2019-04-12.
- ^ a b "Alex protest timeline: Anger, ignored pleas, and threats". TimesLIVE. Retrieved 2019-04-12.
- ^ Naidoo, Sashin (2019-04-09). "SAFTU supports Alex protests, calls on other townships to join". SABC News. Retrieved 2019-04-11.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help) - ^ "WATCH: Service delivery protests spread from Alexandra to the rest of SA". News24. 2019-04-11. Retrieved 2019-04-12.
- ^ "Tshwane shutdown causes chaos in Pretoria". News24. 2019-04-11. Retrieved 2019-04-11.
- ^ Gerber, Jan (2019-04-12). "Protesters trying to attract politicians' attention - Municipal IQ". News24. Retrieved 2019-04-12.
- ^ "Protesters won't back down as Somerset West unrest continues". News24. Retrieved 2019-04-12.
- ^ "Somerset West: Shops looted, bar emptied overnight". News24. 2019-04-11. Retrieved 2019-04-12.
- ^ "Residents block main road in Bergville service delivery protest". ECR. Retrieved 2019-04-12.
- ^ "Rubber bullets fired as Bekkersdal protests intensify". eNCA. Retrieved 2019-04-12.
- ^ Brandt, Kevin. "Caledon protesters await municipality's response to demands". ewn.co.za. Retrieved 2019-04-12.
- ^ "Service delivery protests spread to Soweto". TimesLIVE. Retrieved 2019-04-12.
- ^ Simelane, Bheki C. "ALEXANDRA PROTESTS: Alex residents march to Sandton, determined to have their grievances heard". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 2019-04-11.
- ^ Mitchley, Alex (2019-04-07). "Alex shutdown: DA, ANC in blame-game as protest set to spread to Sandton". News24. Retrieved 2019-04-12.
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