Abstract: South
Africa is not typically mentioned in studies of recent global protest. But
popular resistance surged in South Africa from 2009, reaching a peak of more
than one protest per day in 2012. We examine the 2009+ South African protest
wave, highlighting its sources, antecedents, primary features, and key
consequences. Marked by an explosion of popular resistance in both communities
and workplaces, we argue that the protest wave shares key features with recent
protests elsewhere. Most importantly, they are propelled by forces of
marketization and critique the failures of democracy. The protest wave had a
major impact on South African politics, instigating the emergence of new
challenges to the dominance of the Alliance between the African National
Congress (ANC)—the ruling party—the Congress of South African Trade Unions
(COSATU) and the South African Communist Party (SACP). But the current
political trajectory is far from stable, and the future is remarkably
uncertain.
