Onus on civil society to again stand up for SA
United networks of people can help form a bulwark against anarchy
RECENT requests that the army should be deployed in Hermanus and Mitchells Plain should give us pause. Is this the final proof that anarchy has become a bigger part of our life than we want to acknowledge? More than a year ago, after the violence in Coligny, we asked whether those events would be a tipping point or a turning point in our country’s history.
Looking back today we must unfortunately concede that it was probably more of a tipping point. Violent protests have become a common phenomenon. Hermanus and other towns in the Overstrand represent only a small part of the violent protests we see today, with Kimberley being a recent addition.
I recently had the privilege of attending the United Reform Church in South Africa Synod at Fort Hare University in Alice. Apart from the fact that the entrance to the campus was blocked with burning tyres and protesters for most of the week, one could not help but notice the burn marks across so many of the towns in the Eastern Cape on the way there. Bedford, Adelaide, Fort Beaufort, Alice, Hogsback and many more have been victims.
It feels as if protests, the burning of assets and increased frustration (but also increased polarisation) have become part of the “new normal”.
People who are not directly affected by them look the other way, or literally just take another road. By the way, where in the world will anyone dare to burn state property or even a police station without being charged with an assault against the state?
There are many causes for this anarchistic protest. Some examples include poverty, hopelessness, bitterness, frustration, increased unrealistic expectations, an unsustainable housing policy and failed land reform.
Add to this poorly disciplined children and absent parents, the high percentage of young unemployed people, increased racism, the break lines of a once divided society that continue to exist, a lack of understanding of what your civil rights and your civil responsibilities are and a lack of patriotism.
Statements made by politicians and irresponsible populist rhetoric, poor and awkward local government, inadequate law enforcement, the withdrawal of leadership in civil society and more have created the climate and context within which criminals and anarchists can flourish. If the petrol price continues to rise, we can ready ourselves for the next round of trouble.
The specific causes of violence might vary from town to town, but the broader context remains the same. The question is whether we see any prospect of improvement in the short term.
The answer, unfortunately, is “no”. The fact that we are heading for a general election next year won’t help either. The broader climate for having such an election is anything but favourable.
In a recent meeting of the Western Cape Ecumenical Network (a group of about 30 ecumenical bodies and churches in the Western Cape), violent protest action was discussed. The meeting was quick to request that the subject be amended to include violent protest action and murders. Reports claim that more than 60 people have been killed as a result of taxi violence over the past few months in the Mthatha area alone. What we saw in Hermanus is one side of the big picture.
Everything does not have to go to ruin. What must we do?
I am convinced that we are urgently looking for a new “peace accord”. Readers might remember the national peace agreement reached in 1991 when political murders escalated to 300% between 1985 and 1991. Businesspeople, churches and communities played a major role (especially through trained peace monitors) in stabilising that situation.
Such an agreement might not be cheap and would have to deal with the real issues we are facing. It would look different today, but the principle remains the same. Civil society and the state will have to accept joint responsibility for the challenge. I am convinced that most people do not agree with what we are seeing. Justice and values should form the basis of such an agreement. It must provide a sustainable future for the hopeless, but also a responsible framework within which law enforcement officers can firmly enforce law and order. If we do not succeed, we will quickly degenerate into a country of anarchy where there are only a few secluded islands (security villages) of safety. Talk about creating a new form of apartheid.
It does not look as if politicians are helping communities to formulate such a peace agreement. Therefore, civil society must rise up. Too many true leaders in the community have withdrawn and are no longer visible. We must find them, get them together and empower them. Churches alone cannot make the process succeed, but they can contribute to its success.
The first signs that civil society is ready to mobilise itself again are there. Examples of this include the More than Peace movement, as well as the newly created United Public Safety Front, whose aim is to train peace monitors. In various towns we also see that community forums are being established alongside local authorities. This is the logical result of frustrated citizens who feel like they have been let down. However, these forums will have little effect if inclusive representation is not a priority.
The country needs more than capital. We need social capital – the mutual networks of people who take hands across boundaries in order to take us to a more stable situation and to form a bulwark against anarchy. We have built a new state. We have not invested nearly enough in building a new nation. If the nation does not rise up, anarchists and self-centred politicians will continue to rule.
Our third level of government, or local government, has become hopelessly too expensive and does not nearly deliver what their communities deserve. It seems impossible, but this malfunction in our government system will have to be reversed. I’m unsure whether politicians will do it. Again, civil society will have to be the one to rise up. This suggested solution will not deliver quick results, but it is definitely a possibility. May responsible and firm leadership in our communities now come forward.
I AM CONVINCED THAT WE ARE URGENTLY LOOKING FOR A NEW ‘PEACE ACCORD’ TO STABILISE THE SITUATION AND DEAL WITH REAL ISSUES