Abstract
The culture of protest is a universal tool for political demands. People protest in one age or another as a means of demonstrating their displeasure over a situation or an issue. However, the South African state has a very strong and widespread culture of protests that across ages, class, environment etc. This study unravels the nature of the 2018 protest in Mafikeng while comparing it to the contemporary Zuma-arrest driven uprising. The study used key informant interviews conducted in 2018 and telephonic interviews that were carried out in 2021 to randomly collect data from North West, Kwa-Zulu Natal and Gauteng provinces. The data collected were analysed thematically. It revealed that criminality was deeply entrenched in both protests notwithstanding differences in the near causes. It also found that nation building and national image were undermined in both protests. Finally, the study recommends national reorientation at the grass 2 root level as path to gradually manage and eliminate the quest for criminal exploitation and looting during protests in South Africa.