{"product_id":"south-africa-s-constitution-and-the-law-of-the-township","title":"South Africa’s Constitution and the Law of the Township: Looting from Below","description":"\u003cb\u003eHow are residents of South Africa's townships responding to socio-economic inequality and a pervasive sense that the country's democratic transition has not delivered on its constitutional promises of social justice?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBased on extensive fieldwork, this book challenges beliefs that the agency of township residents is limited to waiting for handouts or demanding delivery from the state, showing how they are instead assisting themselves by taking advantage of the opportunities, \u003ci\u003emenyetla\u003c\/i\u003e, available. In the \u003ci\u003ekasi\u003c\/i\u003e, or urban townships, where almost half of the urban population lives, there is limited state-enforced order; while the \u003ci\u003elex constitutional\u003c\/i\u003e may be the law of the land, the \u003ci\u003elex lokasi\u003c\/i\u003e governs day-to-day life in the township. The book opens with a description of life in townships and the interconnected crises facing the country before examining commonly practiced township \u003ci\u003emenyetla\u003c\/i\u003e to illustrate how the \u003ci\u003elex lokasi \u003c\/i\u003eoperates: stealing electricity, informal charges to access the Social Relief of Distress grant, fare evasion on the  Metrorail, the illicit sale of alcohol during COVID-19 prohibition, medical aid scams, and looting.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eExploring how this looting from below protects those looting from above, it provides a different perspective to the view that state capture is the primary cause of the country's current entropic trajectory and that the application of the much-vaunted constitution can bring South Africa back on track.","brand":"None","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":46482459295954,"sku":"9781847014269","price":157.2,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0655\/8980\/5233\/files\/1_5ddf8590-a55e-4aea-8633-e976d78417ab.jpg?v=1763681052","url":"https:\/\/www.indigo.ca\/products\/south-africa-s-constitution-and-the-law-of-the-township","provider":"Indigo","version":"1.0","type":"link"}