A few years ago, when I was an honours student at in the department of geography at Rhodes University, I received funding from the Canadian government to research the anti-mining struggle in Xolobeni in the Eastern Cape province.

The research undertaking culminated in a dissertation and an article published by the Journal of Public Administration, titled: “The peasants revolt: Analysing the role of the democratic state in the struggle for land and environmental justice in Xolobeni, Eastern Cape, South Africa”...