The Politics of Discontent and Social Protest in Durban

Abstract

Social protests in South Africa are frequent, contributing to an average of more than 8000 ‘Gatherings Act’ incidents per year recently, according to the South African Police Service. This paper is focused on discontent and social protest in Durban in 2009–2012, considering emerging trends and tactics within current understandings of social protest in South Africa. It relies mainly on mainstream media articles such as those archived in the Centre for Civil Society Social Protest Observatory. The paper examines various protest activities and protest victories in Durban, arguing that in the light of state failure, protest has been an important mechanism through which Durban citizens have made gains in the struggle for improved socio-economic conditions.

Notes

The Centre for Civil Society Social Protest Observatory comprises a collection of articles relating to social protest in South Africa since 2009, compiled from mainstream newspaper reports and press releases by civil society organizations and trade unions. It does not include reports from the vernacular nor from other sources cataloguing social protest in South Africa. It is, therefore, limited insofar as journalist bias (or mere non-newsworthiness) and editorial discretion by major corporate-owned newspapers dictates the extent of coverage. The Centre for Civil Society Social Protest Observatory is available at: http://ccs.ukzn.ac.za/default.asp?2,27,3,1858.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Shauna Mottiar

Shauna Mottiar, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Civil Society, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Patrick Bond

Patrick Bond, Director, Centre for Civil Society, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Email: [email protected]