By Kotie Geldenhuys
Photos courtesy of Ihsaan Haffejee/GroundUp and Ashraf Hendricks/GroundUp
With local government elections scheduled for November 2026, the familiar promise of improved “service delivery” has returned to the campaign trail. Political party candidates vow to ensure access to water, sanitation, electricity and other basic services to struggling communities, pledges that many voters have heard countless times before. Yet, for many South Africans, these promises remain unfulfilled. Frustration is constantly spilling onto the streets as communities resort to protest action to have their voices heard. And they are not alone. Across the country, students and workers are also mobilising, demanding access to basic rights, fair treatment and accountability from those in power.
South Africa is widely regarded as one of the most protest-active countries in the world, with more than two million people taking to the streets annually. This deeply entrenched “protest culture” has led some analysts to describe the country as the protest capital of the world. However, protest as a form of political expression is not new to South Africa.
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[This is only an extract of an article published in Servamus: July 2026. This article is available for purchase.]