The cry for service delivery While a lot of things can be said about the role of the state there is always an underlying higher purpose of the state. With the triumph of neoliberalism in the global political economy in general and in Africa as a whole, after the fall of the Berlin Wall in particular, the role of the state has been radically transformed. For example, the neoliberal discourse has interpreted, as state key responsibilities, to make billionaires comfortable. What this has done, on closer inspection, is to endorse inequalities (and societal power asymmetry by extension) that are cemented by neoliberalism in our societies. Without realising it the state, particularly in Africa, thus fails dismally in addressing inequalities given the mere fact that it is the one that endorsed inequality by privileging the bourgeoisie (both petit and comprador) over and above all other classes in society. When the terms such as ‘State Capture’, particularly in South Africa and Namibia, are articuralled charlatans must soon realize that they are part of this discourse. If we are to rescue and return the state (and state power) into the hands of the people as whole, we must conscipciously indicate that the key role of the state is to provide services to the people as whole. This is the message from our students today; service delivery. Lend them your ear!The cry for service delivery While a lot of things can be said about the role of the state there is always an underlying higher purpose of the state. With the triumph of neoliberalism in the global political economy in general and in Africa as a whole, after the fall of the Berlin Wall in particular, the role of the state has been radically transformed. For example, the neoliberal discourse has interpreted, as state key responsibilities, to make billionaires comfortable. What this has done, on closer inspection, is to endorse inequalities (and societal power asymmetry by extension) that are cemented by neoliberalism in our societies. Without realising it the state, particularly in Africa, thus fails dismally in addressing inequalities given the mere fact that it is the one that endorsed inequality by privileging the bourgeoisie (both petit and comprador) over and above all other classes in society. When the terms such as ‘State Capture’, particularly in South Africa and Namibia, are articuralled charlatans must soon realize that they are part of this discourse. If we are to rescue and return the state (and state power) into the hands of the people as whole, we must conscipciously indicate that the key role of the state is to provide services to the people as whole. This is the message from our students today; service delivery. Lend them your ear!