Anger, not hope in South African township
"Mandela has been out of jail for 20 years, 20 years and nothing has changed here"
Burning tyres litter the streets; every road is blockaded with piles of large rocks, thick black smoke fills the air, the sound of rubber bullets is followed by loud screams - this South African township is alive and its anger is spilling over.
Hundreds of people march up and down the streets of Siyathemba township in the northern Mpumalanga province in the week that the country marks 20 years since Nelson Mandela was freed from prison.
Siyathemba, near Balfour, is one of more than 10 townships which took part in a spate of protests last year over a lack of basic services such as clean water, electricity and proper housing.
The African National Congress (ANC) promised to deliver such bare necessities when it came into power in 1994, ending decades of white minority rule.
Many poor South Africans are starting to lose patience with their government.
-Simmering tensions
"A better life for all," was the party's slogan at the time and yet today some feel this dream has remained just that.
The township's name means "We (have) hope" in the local Swati language and yet residents here say they have nothing to be hopeful for.
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