South Africa has witnessed unusual violence in its recent history since the end of the apartheid regime. The streets of Johannesburg facing widespread looting and social unrest. The protesters were marching with sticks, golf clubs and branches, breaking shops and stores (BBC, 2021 “ South Africa deploys military to tackle Zuma riots”). The death toll from nearly a week of unrest has risen to 72, some from gunshot wounds, while 1,300 people have been arrested (Aljazeera, 2021 “Death toll climbs as South Africa violence spirals”). 800 retail shops had been looted, while in KwaZulu Natal, goods worth between $400m and $1bn have been stolen or destroyed, according to initial industry estimates (The Guardian, 2021 “Enemies of democracy behind South Africa protests, says president”).
The protest and violence exploded as Jacob Zuma – the former President of South Africa – was taken into custody on July 7 to begin a 15-month sentence. He ignored its order to give evidence at an inquiry investigating high-level corruption during his nine years in power. It should be noted, that this is the first time a former president has been jailed in post-apartheid South Africa, and some experts pointing it could be seen as a landmark for the rule of law in the country but the subsequent violence has faded away this momentum.
Looking into the context, South Africa’s political system has undergone significant changes since the early 1990. Under the segregated apartheid system prior to 1994, South Africa was divided into four provinces, four independent “bantustans”, and six nonindependent states ( Beck, 2000:4). The period of apartheid has witnessed a tiny white majority ruled over an overwhelmingly black majority by denying them access to the political system, restricting their economic opportunities, amassing vast wealth on the backs of African labor, and forcing them to live in the designated areas. This systematic racial segregation and oppression was enforced through an extensive security and police force that routinely employed violence against black South Africans. By the late 1980s, South Africa’s economy was in a deep recession and large segments of the country were becoming ungovernable. By that time, a number of countries enacted sanctions against South Africa expressing international condemnation of the apartheid system (Nowak, 2005).
The 1994 marks a new era in the history of South Africa, the president F. W. de Klerk was replaced with Nelson Mandela in a free and fair election first time after the apartheid. The country’s interim constitution took effect and South Africa was divided into nine provinces (ibid). This period is known as the parliamentary supremacy of the apartheid era with constitutional supremacy (Klug, 2000). The new constitution stipulated socio-economic rights alongside liberal rights. Human dignity, freedom and equality as well as non-racialism were the foundation principles of the constitution. President Mandela initiated the national reconciliation policy to eradicate the decades of racial division and conflict. Part of that was to solve poverty, which was deeply rooted in the country. Mandela’s name is mostly associated with his fight against institutionalized racial segregation and discrimination. He introduced housing, education, and economic development initiatives designed to improve the living standards of the country’s Black population (Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia, 2021). When Mandela left the post of President in 1999, he was succeeded by Mbeki, who served as the second president of South Africa from 1999 to 2008. Mbeki tried to follow Mandela’s path. He led efforts to increase foreign investment in Africa and to encourage debt relief for African countries. But his presidency was characterized by the turmoil in the African National Congress (ANC) party. He dismissed Jacob Zuma, the former deputy president in 2005 amid charges of corruption. But his decision was following with an allegation by a High Court judge that there had been political interference in Zuma’s prosecution on corruption charges. As a result, in September 20, 2008, Mbeki was asked by the ANC to resign from the South African presidency (Vines, 2010).
The above-mentioned developments helped Jacob Zuma to initiate his candidacy as the president of South Africa. He was inaugurated as the President for his first term on the 9th May 2009. President Zuma began his first term by reconfiguring government to improve performance, while promoting collaboration with society. One of the key achievements of his administration was to develop the National Development Plan Vision 2030 by the National Planning Commission, established in 2009 (Zarenda, 2013.). Another key feature of his administration has been the President’s hands-on management of the economic development programme. This led to the establishment of the Presidential Infrastructure Coordinating Commission to drive the implementation of the massive and successful public infrastructural development programmes (Bassett and Clarke, 2008).
However, his presidency shaped an image of South Africa as a massively corrupt country. His rule encouraged the clans to gain power and to rule behind the scenes. In 2018, the World Bank ranked South Africa as the most corrupt country in the world (The World Bank in South Africa, 2021). Corruption flourished particularly in the rural areas. The President was accused in fraud, money-laundering and racketeering charges related to an arms deal. The economic conditions devastated and poverty level raised. The percentage of the population below the upper-middle-income-country poverty line fell from 68% to 56% between 2005 and 2010 ( The World Bank in South Africa, 2021). Consequently, dissatisfaction spread widely among population and even among Zuma’s political party, after an intense pressure from ANC, president Zuma finally resigned.
The African National Congress (ANC) and its large parliamentary majority moved quickly to elect deputy president and current party leader Cyril Ramaphosa to state presidency. Despite Zuma’s resignation, he has maintained number of supporters who claim that Zuma is the victim of a politically motivated crackdown by his successor Cyril Ramaphosa. And many feel that his successor as president, Cyril Ramaphosa, has failed to provide decisive leadership – either to calm anger over Zuma’s imprisonment or to reassure South Africans that they will be safe.
The recent developments in South Africa need to be taken into consideration seriously. Certainly, there will be hard days for South Africa ahead, the country’s democracy and the rule of law are already under question and it would not be easy to restore the image. Furthermore, Covid-19 hit the country’s economy too much and the population have badly felt the consequences of it. The fact that protests took a large scale was somehow unexpected, at some point it was fueled due to the poor living conditions that south Africans are facing. Low income levels and unemployment – standing at a record high of 32.6% among the workforce and even higher at 46.3% among young people (BBC 2021, “South Africa Zuma riots: Looting and unrest leaves 72 dead”). Considering the widespread negative spirit among population, South Africa’s government has to take cautious measures to avoid civil unrest, unfortunately there is already a ready ground for it. Whether South Africa is capable of solving the challenge solely remains a big question. International community has its role to play.
References
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BBC, (2021) “South Africa deploys military to tackle Zuma riots”. Accessed July 15 2021 <https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-57803513>
Beck, R. B. (2000). The History of South Africa. Greenwood Publishing Group
Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2021). Nelson Mandela. Encyclopedia Britannica. Accessed 17 July 2021 <https://www.britannica.com/biography/Nelson-Mandela>
Klug, H. (2000). Constituting democracy: Law, globalism, and South Africa’s political reconstruction. Cambridge University Press
Miti, K. (2012). South Africa and conflict resolution in Africa: from Mandela to Zuma. Southern African Peace and Security Studies, 1(1), 26-42.
Nowak, M. (2005). The first ten years after apartheid: an overview of the South African economy. Post-Apartheid South Africa: The First Ten Years. Washington, DC: International Monetary Fund, 1-10.
The World Bank in South Africa, (2021). Accessed 17 July 2021 <https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/southafrica/overview#1>
The Guardian, (2021) “Enemies of democracy behind South Africa protests, says president”, accessed 18 July 2021 <Mahmoud Refaat: The European Institute for International Law and International Relations.
