Don’t overlook the deeper roots behind the violence and looting in South Africa
Over the past few days, scenes of looting and violent protests have emerged from South Africa following the jailing of former president Jacob Zuma. Yet it is a mistake to interpret what is unfolding as a sign of massive political support for Zuma. It is also an error to see the gross acts of criminality and theft as inexplicable.
On the contrary, the scenes of violent destruction playing out in the provinces of Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal are the logical and foreseeable consequences of the moral decline, and technocratic failure, of the African National Congress-run state. These deeper roots of this week’s violence should not be obscured with hasty moralizing about the antisocial behavior of people living on the margins of South African society.… Seguir leyendo »