Recent service delivery protests are the fault of politicians' failure to live up to their promises, Amnesty International SA executive director Shenilla Mohamed said on Friday.

Protest action – including in Johannesburg, Soweto and Cape Town – comes less than a month before the May 8 national and provincial elections and, according to Mohamed, the timing is because of unfulfilled promises made the last time the country went to the polls.

"The eruption of protests ahead of the election shows people's discontent with the failure of politicians to make good on their promises in the past five years. Access to water, decent housing and electricity are essential for anyone to live a life of dignity," said Mohamed.

She added that politicians needed to "develop post-election plans in line with the country's human rights obligations".

"These plans must be followed with concrete action to address the issues raised by communities. This will not only improve the daily lives of people but will tackle the triple burden of unemployment, poverty and inequality. Authorities must prioritise people's economic, social and cultural rights to ensure human rights compliant service delivery," she said.