A political analyst from North West University, Professor Sethulego Matebesi, says stability is slowly being restored in the North West as the province has seen a steady decline in violent service delivery protests in the past year.
This change has been attributed to various factors, including a change of leadership and the provincial government’s Thuntsha Lerole programme which, according to Matebesi, enabled government to engage with the residents on a ground level and hear their challenges and frustrations.
Matebesi says this type of governance should be applied across the country, as violent service delivery protests are often the result of citizens feeling unheard and unconsidered.
Matebesi adds: “There has been a significant decrease in the number of protests in North West Province in 2023 and early 2024. First of all, when there’s an attempt by the government to engage with the citizens, that in itself is creating an opportunity for dialogue, and I strongly believe that the Thuntsha Lerole programme that has been initiated by North West Province to deal with service delivery issues played a significant role.”
