State repression creates solidarity among movement participants, who justify the need for violence as a form of self-defence. - Jane Duncan

Failure to notify is not, in itself, sufficient reason to break up a protest if it is peaceful and unarmed.

The police service is clearly a stressed institution. Considering the high levels of crime in South Africa, the ratio of police to population is on the lower end of the global scale. Those who can afford it opt for private security, which lacks accountability.

Municipal decision-making sets a framework for police actions — in that prohibited protests are more likely to trigger police actions than ones that aren’t — but the police can exercise discretion in how they respond to such collective action.