Despite countrywide outrage about the slow pace of service delivery, President Thabo Mbeki has again urged people to be patient...
He blamed service delivery problems on centuries of colonialism and apartheid, saying they had led to poverty and underdevelopment and that 13 years of democracy was too short a time to fix all the problems. ..
He added that often when issues were explained at presidential imbizos, the citizens understood the challenges and could themselves identify what should be prioritised.
A recent spate of protests, often violent and destructive, has seen businesses being destroyed and many arrested.
A survey by TNS Research surveys also indicated that more protests could be expected in parts of Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and North West because of the high levels of dissatisfaction with service delivery.
Another study by the Centre for Development and Enterprise indicated that there was a common factor between all the areas where the violent protests had occurred.
It pointed out that citizens experienced "a sense of having been treated with indifference or even contempt by the political class".
Whether the issue ranged from leaking taps or being incorporated into another province, people were highly angry about "insensitive, unresponsive and unaccountable political elites", the study added.
Mbeki said it was expected that those who did not have houses would protest but it was not possible or practical to deliver on everything so soon.
"Communities must know that it isn't possible to solve all these problems in a short time," he said.
He admitted that at times there was an imbalance between the amount of money set aside for housing and that for infrastructure, which led to houses being built in areas without the necessary sanitation facilities, but the government was looking into the matter... - The Star
He blamed service delivery problems on centuries of colonialism and apartheid, saying they had led to poverty and underdevelopment and that 13 years of democracy was too short a time to fix all the problems. ..
He added that often when issues were explained at presidential imbizos, the citizens understood the challenges and could themselves identify what should be prioritised.
A recent spate of protests, often violent and destructive, has seen businesses being destroyed and many arrested.
A survey by TNS Research surveys also indicated that more protests could be expected in parts of Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and North West because of the high levels of dissatisfaction with service delivery.
Another study by the Centre for Development and Enterprise indicated that there was a common factor between all the areas where the violent protests had occurred.
It pointed out that citizens experienced "a sense of having been treated with indifference or even contempt by the political class".
Whether the issue ranged from leaking taps or being incorporated into another province, people were highly angry about "insensitive, unresponsive and unaccountable political elites", the study added.
Mbeki said it was expected that those who did not have houses would protest but it was not possible or practical to deliver on everything so soon.
"Communities must know that it isn't possible to solve all these problems in a short time," he said.
He admitted that at times there was an imbalance between the amount of money set aside for housing and that for infrastructure, which led to houses being built in areas without the necessary sanitation facilities, but the government was looking into the matter... - The Star
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