Social Movements, State Failure and Advancing Democracy
In this paper we will discuss the extent to which the ongoing growth in social movements and protests is a response to the failures of the state in addressing unequal development, and whether civil society organs can play a significant role in consolidating democracy in South Africa. In order to consider these questions, we will briefly consider some of the political factors which have contributed to the rise in social movements and protests. We will also look at the growing economic pressures, such as high rate of unemployment and exclusion from economic opportunities which are likely to contribute to the growth of social movements and protests, using the mining sector as a prism through which to draw some conclusions. The essay will conclude with a consideration of the role of civil society in the form a radical challenge to the status quo and what it means for consolidating democracy in South Africa. An Elite Democracy and the Exclusion of the Masses. Various studies,...