Violent protests don’t belong in a democracy

Street protests have become all-out street wars. And they don’t serve the purpose.

If they had, they wouldn’t be repeated time and again for the same grievances. Take the common problem: housing. How many houses have been built in any given area where residents have taken to the streets? Very few, if any. And those that are built fall to pieces.

The fact is, the protests are having the opposite effect to what is intended. Firstly, they turn violent, resulting in injury from rubber bullets and rocks, shops being looted, essential services such as trains and buses being stoned and set alight, and schools and libraries being burned down.

Streets, already pot-holed, are further damaged with burning tyres and rubble. When the protesters wake up the next morning to this devastation, does the thought ever strike them they’re far worse off than before? Overnight, the number of buses and trains decreases, leaving workers stranded with the prospect of losing pay; learners have no schools to attend; no libraries to increase their knowledge, and no shops to purchase basic items like milk and bread.

So housing, the reason for the protests, is set on the back burner – again.

That the right to protest forms an essential part of democracy is a given. But ‘peaceful’ is the word. But inevitably, vandalism becomes part of the equation.

Having said all that, we need to go to the source of most protests: Corrupt and incompetent municipalities. They are the ones causing – and therefore encouraging – folk to go public. If councils administered their monies properly, service delivery would not be such a huge problem, and there would be no reason for protest.

Undoubtedly there is empathy for the protesters, as most of our local councils are a bunch of fraudsters. But it’s still no excuse for violence. Take the recent Caledon protests, during which three lives were lost. Unacceptable.

And undemocratic. The streets belong to peaceful road users, so now, where are their rights in society, hey? Must they just accept that on any given day, they’re unable to get from A to B because of illegitimate war zones?

Peaceful protests are one thing, but allowing rock-throwing arsonists and looters free rein is quite another.

The answer? Improved police intelligence on the ground that would anticipate trouble, and take preventive measures – even if it means calling in the army.

It is war, after all.