The misnomer of ‘service delivery protests’ in South Africa: Discourse, governance and institutional accountability

Background: In South Africa, the term ‘service delivery’ has become ubiquitous in public discourse, encompassing a wide array of issues from water outages to damaged roads. However, this generalisation often masks the underlying causes of institutional failures and misallocates responsibility. Aim: This article critically interrogates the discursive framing of ‘service delivery protests’ in South Africa, drawing on discourse theory and new institutionalism to show how the term’s indiscriminate use in public debates depoliticises complex governance failures, reinforces institutional inertia and undermines both accountability and targeted policy responses. Methods: The analysis draws on recent protest case studies from the Eastern Cape, Limpopo and Free State provinces. Through qualitative examination of protest motivations and outcomes, the article explores how the generalised label of ‘service delivery protests’ fails to capture the depth of community grievances. Results: The study reveals that broader structural problems, such as corruption, institutional dysfunction and governance breakdowns, in fact, drive many protests attributed to service delivery failures. ‘Service delivery’ oversimplifies these complex issues, impeding precise problem identification and undermining accountability. Conclusion: There is an urgent need for more accurate and differentiated terminology in public discourse and government communication. Clarity in naming specific services and responsible entities is critical for diagnosing root causes, ensuring accountability and designing effective public administration and policy interventions. Contribution: This study reframes South Africa’s ‘service delivery’ discourse by showing how its general use obscures system and governance failures that underpin community protests. It suggests the need for targeted policy interventions that address root causes rather than symptoms, to reinforce accountability and public governance.