Looting from below
By David Dickinson
How are township residents responding to socio-economic inequality and the growing belief that South Africa’s democratic transition has failed to deliver constitutional promises of social justice?
South Africa’s Constitution and the Law of the Township explores this question through extensive fieldwork. It challenges conventional assumptions about township agency and survival. The book examines how township residents in South Africa respond to failed promises of democracy and social justice
What the South African constitution provides
The book reveals how “menyetla”, or available opportunities, shape survival, opportunity and complicity within a broader landscape of inequality. Rather than simply waiting for state assistance, residents actively pursue opportunities within the “kasi”, where almost half of the urban population lives.
Although the Constitution provides the law of the land, “lex lokasi” governs everyday township life. This informal system shapes responses to electricity theft, illicit charges for accessing Social Relief of Distress grants, Metrorail fare evasion, illegal alcohol sales during COVID-19 restrictions, medical aid scams, and looting.
Through these examples, South Africa’s Constitution and the Law of the Township demonstrates how residents navigate limited state-enforced order. It also explores how looting from below can protect those looting from above. Consequently, the book challenges the argument that state capture alone explains South Africa’s current trajectory. It also questions whether enforcing the Constitution, by itself, can restore the country’s democratic promise.
By examining the relationship between constitutional ideals and everyday township practices, South Africa’s Constitution and the Law of the Township offers a critical perspective on inequality, accountability and social justice. It encourages readers to reconsider how ordinary citizens exercise agency within unequal systems. The book is particularly relevant to scholars, policymakers and readers interested in South African sociology, constitutionalism and post-apartheid governance.
About the author
David Dickinson is an attorney at Lawyers for Human Rights and Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. His professional and academic background brings legal and sociological perspectives to questions of inequality and everyday life. His work provides a valuable foundation for examining the relationship between constitutional principles and township realities.
- Publisher | Wits University Press |
- ISBN | 9781997494157 |
- Recommended Price | R350.00 |
- Subject | Society & Social Sciences |