For heaven ’ s sake, consult!

AS WE ponder the events that took place during the three-day violent protests in Zamdela township in Sasolburg this week, it is pertinent to recall a similar yet more drawn-out incident in our recent history.

In 2008, after three years of violent protests and strife, then Gauteng premier Paul Mashatile announced that Khutsong was going to be incorporated back into Gauteng after the township had been rezoned to the North West.

The community of Khutsong outside Carletonville had been violently protesting over the demarcation since 2005.

Houses of local councillors were torched and schooling came to a standstill. The then ANC stronghold rejected local and national leaders who tried to hoodwink them into accepting the decision and the boiling pot in Khutsong became a political playground for years. It played a significant role in branding South Africa as the protest capital of the world.

Other areas such as like Matatiele in the Eastern Cape and Moutse in Limpopo followed. This week we woke up to more violent protests in Zamdela.

What started out as protest against the incorporation of Sasolburg and Parys into the Ngwathe Local Municipality turned into chaos as residents looted shops, and stoned and torched vehicles. Four people died and more than 250 were arrested.

What have we learnt from the demarcation battles that have beset our communities in post-apartheid South Africa?

In Khutsong, Matatiele and Moutse lack of proper consultation with the communities fuelled the backlash.

Page through history with Matatiele and Moutse and you find the same script.

Does government have the interests of people at heart when it comes to public consultations or do politicians go through the motions only to get exposed when communities revolt?

In the past, lack of consultation cost the government money and wasted time as investigations were set up to find out the obvious.At the heart of these demarcations are communities tearing each other apart for resources.

It is sad that 19 years into our democracy an overwhelming majority of our people rely solely on government ’ s resources to determine their quality of life.