Previously ratepayer associations in South Africa withheld payments of municipal rates and taxes, but now they've moved to the tactic of going to court to get service delivery, writes Sethulego Matebesi.
Today, there is hardly any society in the world that does not have to deal with its local government. And the manner in which residents respond to local governance issues is a reflection of their level of trust shaped by their lived experiences.
The history of local government in South Africa is like a swinging pendulum or sword-play between municipalities and residents, in which the much vaunted rallying cry of the ANC, "Power to the People", have been met by a wave of community protests.
