DEMARCATION FOR DEMOCRACY OR VIOLENCE? VUWANI AT GLANCE 9th International Conference on Public Administration and Management, 26 and 27 October 2016, Pretoria, South Africa Social science that makes a difference PROJECT TEAM Prof Modimowabarwa Kanyane Dr Stephen Rule Dr Benita Moolman Dr Cyril Adonis Mr Nedson pophiwa Mr Johan Viljoen Mr Molemo Ramphile Social science that makes a difference Background • The sphere of local government in South Africa has been plagued by violent service delivery protests in the last decade. • Although data remain unreliable and incomplete it is reported that the two most recent national election years, 2009 and 2014, were the worst (204 in 2009 and 218 in 2014, compared to 27 in 1996) (Runciman et al, 2016). • During the 2016 local government election campaign, separated incidences of violence erupted especially in Tshwane, Gauteng • The Municipal Demarcation Board (MDB)’s decision to disestablish Mutale municipality, incorporating both Vuwani and Malamulele communities into a single new municipality resulted in widespread violence in the area. • Whereas boundaries have always been contested in South Africa, the Vuwani case led to destruction of public infrastructure at levels not seen before. Social science that makes a difference Vuwani history around protests • Vuwani is one of five towns located in the Vhembe District Municipality in northern Limpopo • Limpopo is ‘home’ to a number of different ethnic groups (Venda, Ndebele, Pedi and Tsonga) • The 2011 Census enumerated 84% of the residents of Vuwani as being home language speakers of Tshivenda, 8% as Xitsonga-speakers, and 8% as speakers of other languages such as Sepedi, Sesotho and English Research Project • VUWANI RAPID RESPONSE RESEARCH (VRRR) • Inter-disciplinary research team within the HSRC • It is an exploratory study of the drivers of violence and conflict over municipal boundaries in Vuwani/ Malamulele • Research Questions: I. Who are the conflicting parties in the case of Vuwani’s demarcation and subsequent violent protests? II. What are the perceptions and facts surrounding the events that led to violence and how it spread rapidly across territories of Vuwani? Research Project III. What according to the conflicted parties could have been done to avoid the negative reaction to the MDB decision and court ruling by the Vuwani community? IV. Did the process of collapsing Mutale and incorporating Vuwani and Malamulela communities into a new municipality take into consideration socio-cultural, local politics and ethnic dynamics which were engineered during the apartheid homeland system? V. How were the dissenting voices accommodated in the process of collapsing Mutale and incorporating Vuwani and Malamulela communities into a new municipality? The case • Protests in Vuwani began in March 2016 as the IEC officially opened the voter registration process in preparation for the local government elections • Residents rose in anger against a court decision in favour of MDB’s plan to merge Vuwani (Makhado Local Municipality) with parts of Thulamela Local Municipality, sections of Musina Local Municipality and parts of Mutale Local Municipality to form a new municipality • In the ensuing conflict, a number of schools were vandalised as community members vented their anger and frustrations at the MDB decision. Schools as smoke signals? • Burning of schools sent a message to government that the community would not concede to demarcation • Either the burnt school itself or the act of burning the school were symbols of communities feeling aggrieved by a legally binding yet exclusionary process • But did the state listen? • A school as a community space vs. a symbol of state failure/success? • Have public infrastructure like schools shifted from being symbols of apartheid to symbols of communal value in post-apartheid SA? Municipal Demarcation & Public Participation • The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (1996) mandates an independent authority in the form of the MDB to determine municipal boundaries and to delimit wards • Section 24 of the Municipal Demarcation Act states that when the Board determines a municipal boundary, its objective should be the creation of an area that would enable the provision of democratic, accountable government and services for local communities in an equitable, sustainable manner which promotes social and economic development, as well as safety and a healthy environment” (Municipal Demarcation Act, 1996). • More policy and other extensive requirements also exist as a guideline in how, why and where demarcations should take place. This aligns with Napier’s (2007:180) argument that boundaries created as a result of demarcation are usually because of electoral district boundaries or polling areas with the intention to assign voters to various spatial or geographic regions. • Buthelezi and Dollery (2004:101) ‘forced integration, formerly known as amalgamation in South Africa, refers to the compulsory merging of previously independent municipalities into a larger whole, with or without their consent’. Municipal mergers: A good idea? • There are debates with regards to the pros and cons of municipal mergers especially when it comes to improvements in service delivery. • Critiques of municipal mergers, such as that by Buthelezi and Dollery (2004: 101) make use of public choice theory and empirically analyse the failures of local government to address the plight of the poor. They argue how voting by citizens in political elections is an irrational activity since the voting process is costly whereas the benefits associated with voting are negligible. • instead of demarcation it is ideal to bolster municipal finance and fiscal performance so as to address the plight of unviable and unsustainable municipalities (Ncube and Vacu 2014:308). • COGTA has expressed concerns and consequently established a task team to review the demarcation process which led to preparations for the 2016 local government elections (Ncube and Vacu, 2014:309). • On the positive side, Buthelezi and Dollery (2004:101) posit that through demarcation, the hierarchical structures of government are removed so that lower structures do not feel inferior to the higher ones. Unwritten & unsaid fears • Communities fear they will lose “efficiency” in service delivery in the old municipality • Tribalism & identity (the elephant in the room) may influence provision of services in the new municipality • Councillors stand to lose their seats in the old municipality (one was arrested for their role in the violence) • Some of the protestors are poorly informed about the impact of the High Court decision because some of them do not fall into the wards that will be incorporated • Mistrust in the role of traditional authorities, local authorities and their position with regards to the conflict and resolutions that need to be adopted Conclusion • Municipal boundary demarcation requires rethinking because it risks losing its mandate to further democracy in South Africa. • Demarcation has become a stimulant for violent protests and destruction of public infrastructure. Will we see more Vuwanis? • In the case of Vuwani the voices of dissent in the communities required political expediency in managing and incorprating them in the demarcation processes. • The literature suggests that in pursuit of justice, activist members of communities have power to engage in collective action with the goal of mobilising resources to ameliorate perceived injustice and relative deprivation. .