By Sizwe Kupelo*
There is a loud silence in the midst of large crowds on the streets — a situation that can quickly turn into an unled revolution.
The anger expressed by South Africans on the streets and on social media demands urgent intervention by the state. Government must launch a massive communication programme to reassure citizens that their concerns are high on the agenda.
This is the moment for the Government of National Unity to demonstrate its ability to create stability in the Republic.
South Africans are communicating their impatience on bread-and-butter issues. This requires all hands on deck. Government must show citizens that immigration, violent crime, and job opportunities are not only on the agenda but are being acted on.
People on the streets want to see the law enforced. They want buses and trains full of undocumented foreign nationals being deported in line with the *Immigration Act 13 of 2002*.
They demand action and accountability from all elected representatives. The message to those representatives is clear: people listened to your manifestos — now they want delivery.
To address what are genuine complaints, enforce the law. The law is at the disposal of those entrusted with power to lead the country.
There is no justification for failing to deal decisively with crime, especially human and drug trafficking. Section 205(3) of the *Constitution* obliges the police to prevent, combat and investigate crime. The economic cluster also needs a strategy to reassure South Africans that the principle of “locals first”, where permitted by law, is being applied — including through the *Employment Services Act 4 of 2014*.
Allowing angry citizens to occupy the streets of strategic economic hubs for days on end is a recipe for disaster. We now see government leaders who go to these gatherings to accept petitions being booed. You do not need to be a rocket scientist to realise that the country’s stability is sitting on a time bomb.
This situation can be exploited by those seeking to advance their own interests. The chaos already exposed at the highest echelons of the South African Police Service makes it worse. The public knows that police management is in crisis, with many of the country’s top generals either arrested or suspended. The head of Crime Intelligence is in court, and the service is characterised by divisions. Opportunists will exploit that vacuum.
GNU leaders must act proactively and prevent the unknown. History has taught us hard lessons: uncontrolled crowds can cost the economy R50 billion in a short space of time, as we saw in July 2021.
Social media has become a tool to mobilise people to air genuine concerns. If left unaddressed, this “mob spirit” will be the end of us all. Those in power must act with speed to address the reasons behind these street occupations.
South Africa has produced good, progressive policies. Our alarming failure has been implementation.
Sizwe Kupelo is a former journalist and a philanthropist. He writes in his personal capacity.
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