April 5, 2010. What is the basis for apparently endless protests in South Africa's cities, ranging from radical social movements to anti-immigrant attacks? Given worsening urban poverty, massive unemployment and rising inequality, will deep-rooted economic contradictions be amplified by the World Cup in June-July 2010, and can the state keep a lid on social unrest? Patrick Bond presents a paper on the political economy of urban crisis and resistance. Patrick Bond is senior professor at the University of KwaZulu-Natal School of Development Studies in Durban, South Africa, where since 2004 he has directed the Centre for Civil Society. His work presently covers environment (energy, water and climate change), economic crisis, social mobilization, public policy and geopolitics. Amongst fifteen authored or coedited books are: Climate Change, Carbon Trading and Civil Society (2009); Looting Africa (2006); Talk Left, Walk Right (2006); and Elite Transition (2005). Patrick earned his doctorate in economic geography under the supervision of David Harvey at Johns Hopkins in 1993. Less