A few weeks ago, when the decision to place the municipality under administration was announced, the mayor of J.B. Marks was likened to emperor Nero who played the fiddle while Rome burnt. Of course, this was the proverbial fire of being placed under administration. This week, however, we saw parts of the city being engulfed in literal flames. Protesters took to the streets to once again voice their displeasure at the administration. These protests were accompanied by burning tyres and barricaded main roads. Councillors were threatened and forced to resign. In his mayoral column, the mayor contends that he is concerned by the protests as he has attended to the issues raised by protesters. This begs the question of whether these protests are a form of blackmail politics by already fed-up residents. When a group protested a while back because they had not received the stands the mayor had allegedly promised them, it opened the door for other residents who are also tired of waiting for services and housing to simply follow this route.
It creates a scenario in which your demands will be met if you destroy and disrupt enough. For the majority of residents who feel they are being ignored, this seems like a viable option for getting access to basic services and housing. Unfortunately, it also opens the window for opportunists to seize the moment and make demands by threatening to destroy infrastructure if their demands are not met.
The police have to step in when crime is committed. Everyone has the right to protest peacefully. This right, on the other hand, should not infringe on the rights of others, like their freedom of speech or freedom of movement. This week, people were stuck in their homes as the roads around them burnt.
