By Hannah Dawson

Poverty, unemployment and growing inequality remain South Africa’s greatest challenges in undoing the legacy of Apartheid. The ‘triple challenge’ has revealed itself increasingly in ongoing protest and strike action. Militant local protests are a frequent occurrence across South Africa with aggrieved residents protesting against poverty, corruption, joblessness and inadequate and uneven provision of public goods and services. 2012 saw an explosive strike wave in both the mining and agriculture sectors, with strikers at the Marikana mine demanding monthly pay of R12 500. The strike resulted in the killing of 34 miners by police. This unrest is significant in that those without work and workers who bear the economic and social burden of the unemployed are taking to the streets. The situation has been described as a ‘ticking time bomb’ by many. How, given the structural nature of the inequalities in South Africa, should we best go about dismantling this time bomb?

Download Full Pdf Document How to dismantle a – ticking – time bomb – Policy solutions for a volatile South Africa