Yesterday was just another one of those days as a South African, when you look on and shake your head.

We showed you some videos and pictures yesterday of the violence and looting in Tshwane (HERE), and we also had a laugh at the SABC’s ostrich-like ‘head in the sand’ approach to not showing any of that footage (HERE).

In the wake of all that the folks at TimesLive have put together a video summation of yesterday – check it below:

You want proof that the people are angry? They’re even threatening to vote DA:

Today we enter the third day of unrest, and it may be the most unruly yet. This from News24:

Police officers and lawmen from across Gauteng are bracing for another day of civil unrest in Tshwane after reports of widespread violence overnight…

A well-placed police source, who could not be named as he is not authorised to the speak to the press, described the situation in the city’s outlying districts overnight as “chaos”.

“The radio has been going mad all night and all of Pretoria is using one channel so things can be coordinated. The controllers are not even reading normal complaints over the air, it is just violence and looting everywhere,” he said.

He said that looting and gunfire had been reported in various sections of Soshanguve, with officers reporting that they had come under fire in Soshanguve Extension 4.

Unconfirmed reports from Mabopane overnight suggest that houses had been set ablaze and spaza shops owned by foreigners were looted.

Reports of several salvos of gunfire in the area also surfaced…

Responding to the violent backlash, Ministers in the Security Cluster pinned the blame on rogue elements of criminals and vowed to act decisively in response.

Panic in the ANC ranks? Of course, because apparently it ain’t nothing to do with the party or their supporters and they can’t wait to tell anyone who will listen. The Daily Maverick:

The ANC disowned the violence that flared up in Attridgeville and Mamelodi on Monday night, initially claiming it was perpetrated by “thugs” and people posing as their members by wearing ANC T-shirts. ANC leaders contradicted themselves several times on Tuesday, trying to wash their hands of responsibility, even though this was an internal party fight…

Gauteng ANC leaders said in media interviews that the violence was being fuelled by “opportunistic elements” and thugs. The two people at the centre of the storm, Ramokgopa and Matsena, also distanced themselves from the “unrest”…

Matsena said in an interview on Radio 702 that “thugs and criminals” were responsible. He would not admit or deny that the announcement of Didiza’s candidacy was what led to communities going on the rampage. “I don’t think members of the ANC are against the decision (to nominate Didiza). It is a very good decision. All of us must rally behind it,” Matsena said.

I guess it’s not just the SABC with their head in the sand then.

So what do all these protests say about South Africans’ attitudes towards local governance and local elections? A great piece from the Mail & Guardian:

Low participation in municipal elections creates a democratic deficit. This phenomenon is increasingly becoming a feature of post-apartheid South Africa. Coupled with rising protests, what does this democratic deficit say about the attitudes of citizens towards local government?

…In the past, communities extracted concessions from political parties in exchange for votes. But, as is often argued, nothing tangible came from those concessions after these parties were voted into power.

In the character of civil disobedience now at play, it appears that the attitude is increasingly becoming one of questioning the very concept of local government as a means to institutionalise order for the common good.

It seems the issue is no longer about the citizens’ preference for one political party over the other, but the concept of government. The citizens are disengaging from the political processes. In some instances, this assumes a character of governance without government…

Instead of being a means to achieve social order for the common good, the local sphere of government is increasingly becoming a citadel of corruption. It sustains an illicit economy.

The culture of “it’s our turn to eat”, to borrow Michela Wrong’s title of a book about the story of a Kenyan whistleblower, is rampant. This all feeds into the attitude that rejects the concept of government and the agitation for the arrangement of governance without government. Is this what the future holds for local government?

That’s right, the ANC have been so poor on delivering on their lofty promises that people are questioning the very validity of government at all.

To be fair, who can really blame them?

[sources:timeslive&news24&dailymaverick&mg]