2019 service delivery protests
 | This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. (April 2019) |
| 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]
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.[4] On the 9 April the trade union SAFTU stated their support for the protests and called on other areas in Gauteng province to join.[5] By the 11 April 2019 the protests had spread to other major cities in the rest of the country.[6] Other than Alexandra protests occurred in Tshwane,[7] Bekkersdal, Orange Grove,[8] Nomzamo[9] Lingelethu East,[10] Bergville,[11] Bekkersdal,[12] Caledon,[13] and Soweto.[14]
The major political parties traded accusations over the cause of the riots.[4] The African National Congress (ANC) accused the Democratic Alliance (DA) of not effectively delivering services to the protesting communities[15] 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.[16] The DA[17] and Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) accused the ANC of instigating and spreading the protests to discredit them in the run up to the 2019 South African general election.[18][19]
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.
- ^ 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.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help) - ^ 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.
