Political Economies of Education and Violent Public Protests in Conflict Zone: Narratives of youth from iNanda and kwa Mashu Townships, South Africa

Nyameka Spambo^*

• Department of Fine Arts, School of Arts, Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

Abstract Protests, accompanied by increasing violence, are prevalent in the townships of South Africa. The context of violent protests is communities dissatisfied with service delivery, which in some cases leaves them without basic necessities, such as water and electricity. Violent protests leave learners and students with no access to schools, colleges, and universities, putting a halt to education programs. The study borrows from Novelli and Cardozo-Lopez considered an important tool that can aid in alleviating poverty. The study considers both physical and structural violence and the ways in which everyday experiences of youth are shaped. In conflict zones such as iNanda and kwa Mashu townships, education suffers whenever violent events take place. Political Economies Analysis (PEA) framed the study and was used to investigate points at which both politics, geographic location, history, and class intersect to produce experiences of both formal and informal education. The qualitative study used semi structured interviews to engage with 16 participants and two focus groups with youth and learners between the ages of 19-35 years old. Findings from Thematic Analysis infused with Novelli and Cardozo-Lopez 4R's (recognition, redistribution, representation, and reconciliation) indicate that (1) violent protests are a directly linked to dissatisfaction with service delivery however, negative influence on the education system. (2) youth in conflict zones miss out on formal education which often exposes them adults who end up teaching/engaging them in criminal activities. (3) lastly, the study shows that communities of iNanda and kwa Mashu townships deem community dialogue and the ubuntu approach as possible solutions to protecting youth from suffering as a result of different forms of violence. Since no community around the world is spared from physical or structural violence, this study concludes that education can propel social justice for youth in conflict zones.