Servicedeliveryprotests

The ANC will seek a turnaround strategy for municipalities before the public begins losing faith, secretary general Gwede Mantashe said on Monday.

Karabo Keepile returns to the town after its service delivery protests to find out if anything has changed ‘since the toyi-toying’.

The recent service delivery protests are in part a response to the levels of inequality in society, Cosatu said on Friday.

Service delivery protests must be completely eliminated by 2014, Cooperative Governance Minister Sicelo Shiceka said on Wednesday.

President Jacob Zuma on Tuesday called for a major rethink on the role and functions of municipalities.

Sakhile township, outside Standerton, was quiet on Friday afternoon as residents awaited feedback from the African National Congress next week.

Weeks of violent protest have earned the troubled Sakhile township a visit by senior ANC figures, in the area on a “fact-finding” mission.

ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe was expected to visit Standerton on Thursday to seek a solution to the unrest in the Mpumalanga town

The Sakhile township is holding its breath ahead of a noon deadline on Wednesday for the municipality to respond to protesters’ demands.

Thousands of protesters took to the streets of several townships on Tuesday, demanding improved infrastructure for sanitation and electricity.

Strong-armed police officers are to blame for service delivery protests that turn violent, researchers said on Wednesday.

The government plans new laws to improve the lives of the poor, but for squatter Ntombi Khumalo this may already be too late.

Gaps in service delivery need to be tackled by all three spheres of government, President Jacob Zuma said on Thursday.

Foreign media reports portraying SA as ”seized with unrest” because of the service delivery protests were unfounded, Jacob Zuma said on Friday.

While pay demands and service delivery protests cripple South Africa, government leaders are still receiving luxurious perks.