The lockdown: South Africa’s test of its democracy - The Mail & Guardian

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How South African citizens, the police and the army, and politicians behave during the 21-day lockdown will have far-reaching implications for our democracy.

, an uneasy tension hovered through the mostly quiet streets. There are many questions that weigh on the nation’s mind. Will we have enough supplies? How will I receive my salary? Do I still have a job? Will we beat the coronavirus? These are all urgent and valid questions that have marked the uncertain time we now face. Beyond these immediate concerns though, there are bigger questions that will determine South Africa’s fate.most decisive act since assuming office.

But the real test for South Africa is not if the lockdown will help slow down the pandemic. Instead, lurking within and throughout this lockdown is a battle for the future of South Africa’s democracy. Here are three issues to watch out for over the next three weeks.On Friday, the nation woke to images and news reports of business as usual in large parts of Alexandra. Public transport, shops, and public spaces were bustling with people.

But poor people are neither ignorant nor unnecessarily defiant. There was a genuine sense of frustration among residents, some of whom had been waiting since dawn to buy much-needed supplies, and were now being policed in their quest to get food. “Do I stay home and starve?”, asked one woman interviewed by eNCA. “Why are they closing the supermarket when government orders were to control the queues?” asked a man.

Yes, there will be the defiance: those people who will disregard the law openly and intentionally; those who seek to hurt the state at any cost to further their own agendas. Will these groups remain on the fringes, or will they be emboldened in these strange times when they have had to relinquish civil liberties and accept the armed forces on our streets?

In townships and suburbs, across rural areas and in the cities, South Africans will be wrestling with a similar question: Should I follow what this government says, or should I do what is needed to meet my own needs? This debate cuts to the heart of the social and legal contract that characterises the relationship between a modern nation-state and its people. And this disjuncture speaks to the underlying problem of South Africa’s governance: a citizenry that has lost trust in its government.

 

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