What has the ISS data shown about the rise of violent protests over the last 10 years?
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Last week we said a week is a long time in politics and I never could have imagined how that would come back to haunt us.
The country experienced one of the most violent, and damaging weeks in its young democratic history, which has left a trail of burnt buildings, dead bodies and political and national soul searching in its wake.
Questions are being asked of the President who has only addressed the country once specifically on the looting on Monday and of the decision to deploy the army so late in the day. But if one reads the nuance of the situation carefully one sees that the calm and carefully measured approach actually avoided potentially far greater bloodshed and loss of life, which would have played right into the instigators hands and fed a call for. The president to resign. After all Marikina’s wounds are still fresh.
Civilians had to step in as the line blue line snapped in the face of the marauding hordes. But that is another silver lining to these dark clouds, the fact that ordinary South Africans recognise that rooting out the corrupt faction will be painful and have stood firm along with the community groups emerging to rebuild.
As things simmer down the economic costs are starting to be counted.
Deutsche Bank said on Thursday that riots in South Africa could shave 0.8% from the country’s economic growth this year and lead to a possible hit to the budget balance of some 0.2 to 0.5% of gross domestic product.
Moody’s said the “The escalation of violence represents a manifestation of South Africa’s exposure to social risks inherent in its credit profile, stemming from the high levels of income inequality and unemployment, particularly among the youth…”
The country experienced one of the most violent, and damaging weeks in its young democratic history, which has left a trail of burnt buildings, dead bodies and political and national soul searching in its wake.
Questions are being asked of the President who has only addressed the country once specifically on the looting on Monday and of the decision to deploy the army so late in the day. But if one reads the nuance of the situation carefully one sees that the calm and carefully measured approach actually avoided potentially far greater bloodshed and loss of life, which would have played right into the instigators hands and fed a call for. The president to resign. After all Marikina’s wounds are still fresh.
Civilians had to step in as the line blue line snapped in the face of the marauding hordes. But that is another silver lining to these dark clouds, the fact that ordinary South Africans recognise that rooting out the corrupt faction will be painful and have stood firm along with the community groups emerging to rebuild.
As things simmer down the economic costs are starting to be counted.
Deutsche Bank said on Thursday that riots in South Africa could shave 0.8% from the country’s economic growth this year and lead to a possible hit to the budget balance of some 0.2 to 0.5% of gross domestic product.
Moody’s said the “The escalation of violence represents a manifestation of South Africa’s exposure to social risks inherent in its credit profile, stemming from the high levels of income inequality and unemployment, particularly among the youth…”
