Politics/South Africa
After 27 Years of Democracy South Africa Is More Unequal Than During Apartheid
What happened in July — the violence and looting — is a wake-up call
Civil unrest erupted on July 12 after the jailing of ex-President Jacob Zuma for contempt by the Constitutional Court — the highest judicial body in the country.
Zuma had refused to appear at the Zondo Commission unless Judge Zondo recused himself, stating without facts to back up his argument that Zondo was biased against him. The judge denied Zuma’s application for recusal, after which the ex-President walked out of the Commission. He never returned despite being issued a summons to appear.
The uprising in two of the country’s 9 provinces, KwaZulu-Natal, and Gauteng — the economic hubs of the country — came as no surprise.
Extreme poverty and lack of progress in creating a just and fair society were the kindling that needed just one match to set it alight.
What went wrong? There’s no definitive answer.
“Poverty is the parent of revolution and crime.” — Aristotle
Analysis of social media activities before and during this period point to the Zuma…
