An update, for allies of the struggle for social justice in South Africa:
Last night, well-known Soweto activist Trevor Ngwane and 49 other
progressive community/labour activists were involuntarily moved to one of
apartheid South Africa's most notorious prisons, Diepkloof, to sit another
week while their home addresses are being confirmed by the lethargic
Johannesburg courts. The state appears intent on maximising the persecution
of the Soweto Electricity Crisis Committee, notwithstanding
* growing concern that the justice system is being abused for political
purposes by the ruling party, and
* growing local and international delegitimisation of the host city for the
August-September 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development.
The Soweto comrades are merely asking that the African National
Congress-ruled municipality keep its campaign promises of free basic
("lifeline") services and, in the process, end the evictions,
water/electricity cut-offs and prosecutions of poor people whose only crime
is that they cannot afford water and electricity that are being inexorably
privatised. They arrived to protest nonviolently on Saturday, and were met
with gunfire (live rounds) that wounded two protesters.
Below please find:
* letter from Anti-Privatisation Forum treasurer;
* email addresses for letters to the authorities (please be firm and polite
in demanding the 50 protesters' release!);
* today's press reports (from the big-business media);
* the Anti-Privatisation Forum's latest leaflet.
For more information, stay tuned to http://southafrica.indymedia.org
Trevor and the 49 other comrades will welcome your support, and their
organisations will welcome you to Johannesburg in late August when a
people's summit will unveil the hypocrisies of neoliberal "sustainable
development" in the allegedly-liberated South Africa.
***
From: "Florencia Belvedere" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Tuesday, April 09, 2002 2:31 PM
Subject: How people can help
Dear all,
Thanks for your support of the SECC comrades. The APF and the SECC are
currently exploring the possibility of bringing a High Court interdict to
appeal the 7-day extension. Counsel that we have consulted are also
concerned about the bail hearing coming up on April 16th, as they are
concerned that the state might try to pull all kinds of technicalities to
deny comrades bail.
There is likely to be a drawn out legal case to follow and therefore we will
need financial assistance of whatever kind or sort. We have some legal
funds, but not enough to cover all costs. Our lawyer is helping us
pro-bono, but this is not likely to be the case with an advocate.
So, if comrades want to assist, they can deposit or transfer money into the
APF account. This money will be set aside for the SECC.
The APF's bank details follow.
Account Name: Anti-Privatisation Forum
Bank: First National Bank, South Africa
Branch: Bank City
Bank Address: Block A, #3 First Place, Bank City, FNB, Johannesburg, 2000
Branch Code: 250805(00)
Account Number: 62027851452
Type of Account: Cheque
Swift Code: FIRN ZAJJA046
Telephone: 011 352 1338/492 3321/492 3345
Contact Person: Vanitha Maharaj
Please help us get this message far and wide (both locally and overseas).
We will be holding a mass meeting at Funda Centre in Soweto on Saturday,
April 13th. See attached flyer for more details.
Yours in struggle to free the Kensington 50!
Florencia Belvedere
Treasurer, Anti-Privatisation Forum
For sending emails to demand the release of the Soweto protesters:
----- Original Message -----
Subject: Email addresses
> Senior Prosecutor's office in Johannesburg. Prosecuting Attorney's email
address is: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Mayor Amos Masondo's email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
----- Original Message -----
> Today's News Tuesday 9th April 2002
> ____________________________________
> The Star 9/4/2002
>
> Electricity protestors to stay in jail for a week
>
> by Anna Cox
>
> Fifty Soweto residents who participated in the trashing of the home of
> Johannesburg's executive mayor will spend the next seven days in jail.
>
> The 50, part of a group of 87 members of the Soweto Electricity Crisis
> Committee (SECC) that were arrested on Saturday, were remanded in prison
> while the police verified their addresses. Yesterday, 37 protestors,
mainly
> the elderly, youths and the sick were released by the Jeppe Magistrates
> Court.
>
> On Saturday, more than a hundred SECC members had gathered outside mayor
> Amos Masondo's Kensington home protesting and chanting slogans. The
> protestors trashed Masondo's place, threw rubbish around the garden,
banging
> on te doors and damaged his garage door, while his wife and children were
> locked inside the house.
>
> The SECC has accused the governmetn of politicising the event and putting
> pressure on court officials not to release the accused.
>
> SECC spokesperson Phillip Matseoane said this was a mockery of democracy.
> "We have child rapists and murderers walking the streets yet a few
> protestors who were fired on with live ammunition by Masondo's security
> guard now face a week in jail," he said.
>
> The accused, all members of the SECC, claim they were simply delivering a
> memorandum to Masondo's house and were trying to push it under the door
> because they were informed Masondo was not at home when they were fired
on.
> A group of about 100 protestors arrived at Jeppe Court yesterday, singing
> and demanding the release of their leaders and the arrest, instead, of
> Masondo.
>
> When the march became disruptive, police asked protestors to move 100m
away
> from the court. However, the marchers spilled off the pavement, disrupting
> traffic. When a Johannesburg Metro Police Department officer tied to force
> the protestors back to the pavement with his vehicle, they surrounded his
> car chanting anti-police slogans. The mood again turned ugly when several
> SAPS members threatened to use batons to disperse the crowd. Later, police
> officers spoke to SECC leaders who persuaded the gathering to disburse
> peacefully.
>
> Sapa reports that Mineral and Energy Minister, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka
> yesterday condemned the weekend attack on Masondo's home.
> ____________________________________
> SAPA and Citizen 8/4/2002
>
> ANGRY CROWD AWAITING APPEARANCE OF MAYORAL PROTESTERS
>
> An angry crowd milled around in a courtyard outside the Jeppe Magistrate's
> Court on Monday morning awaiting the appearance of over 70 people arrested
> after holding a violent demonstration outside Johannesburg mayor Amos
> Masondo's residence.
>
> Inside the holding cells the protesters, many pensioners due to collect
> their pensions on Monday, waiting to know whether they would spend more
time
> in custody.
>
> Two hours after the commencement of court the case had still to be called
> and rumours were rife that the prosecution would ask for a seven-day
> postponement prior to a bail application to check the names and addresses
of
> those in custody.
>
> The majority were said to be women - minors had already be released.
>
> John Appolis, chairman of the Anti-Privatisation Forum said he thought
this
> was political issue since the protest against the cutting of water and
> electricity had occurred outside Masondo's home.
>
> Many of those present said the pensioners would now have no money for
April
> since it was unlikely that special arrangements would be made for them to
> collect their pension.
>
> Police arrested more than a hundred members of a crowd from the Soweto
> Electricity Crisis Committee (SECC) who gathered on Saturday to protest
> outside Masondo's Kensington home.
>
> Masondo's spokesman Khotso Chikane said a bus load of protesters arrived
at
> Masondo's home on Saturday morning and began singing and chanting.
>
> "They then began trashing the place, people were throwing rubbish around
the
> garden, banging on the doors and they damaged the garage door," he said.
>
> Although Masondo was not at home during the incident, his wife and
children
> were locked inside. Chikane said they were very frightened.
>
> Masondo's security guard fired a few gun shots to try to disperse the
crowd.
>
> Police arrived at the scene soon after the shots were fired and arrested
the
> marchers on charges of disrupting the peace and organising an illegal
march.
> http://196.14.83.3/briefing/nw20020409/2.html
(The following article from today's SA Broadcasting Corporation news shows
that the episode in Johannesburg is not atypical of the conditions that
low-income people face across South Africa. In the case below, the
protesters are fighting against the ANC's main opposition, a party called
the Democratic Alliance, which is of the neolib/christian-democratic style.
Whether ANC or DA, city councillors are imposing brutal policies such as
cutting water and electricity to the poor, against the spirit of the SA
Constitution and against both parties' .)
____________________________________
> SABC News 9/4/02
>
> Khayelitsha residents protest poor service delivery
>
> Angry residents of Khayelitsha in Cape Town have staged a sit-in at the
> municipal offices at Lingalethu-West. The protest action, which began
> yesterday, continued overnight. Moses Vaphi, the community leader, said
they
> are dissatisfied with the state of municipal services, especially the
> cutting-off of water supplies. The protesters have vowed to continue
> protesting until their demands are met.
>
> The residents are demanding an end to water cut-offs and evictions. They
are
> also calling for the introduction of a monthly flat rate for services, as
> well as land for people without fixed property. Negotiations with
municipal
> officials failed last night. A residents delegation is still in the
> building. About 100 of others slept outside the premises last night.
>
> The Cape Town Unicity Council says it cannot allow a monthly flat rate for
> those who are in arrears on the rental and rates payments. The council
does
> however say it appreciates the positive steps taken by Mfuleni residents
to
> pay R10 towards services.
>
> Residents who are in arrears entered the Cape Town Unicity's offices in
> large numbers to pay R10 each. But Kylie Hatton, the Mayoral spokesperson,
> said the position taken by the protesting residents is not acceptable. A
> total of 30 000 houses out of 850 000, had their water and electricity cut
> by the council last year.
>
> http://www.sabcnews.co.za/politics/the_provinces/0,1009,31898,00.html
***
THE APF
(The Anti-Privatisation Forum)
APF/SECC/KCR/UCOSA/WCCC/TRECRA
FREE THE KENSINGTON 50
FIRE MASONDO NOW.
After march upon march, memorandum after memorandum, Soweto residents
finally decided that enough is enough. On Friday, 5 April, more than a
thousand angry residents decided, at a public meeting, that Joburg Mayor,
Amos Masondo and his corrupt councillors must go. A peaceful protest at
Masondo's Kensington home on Saturday, 6 April, turned sour when Mr
Mathebula, a security guard fired wildly into the crowd, injuring 2 people.
37 of the 87 protestors arrested were pensioners and children. While they
face charges of public violence and malicious damage to property, Masondo's
hired gunman goes free after being charged with attempted murder.
MBEKI'S GOVERNMENT HAS DECLARED WAR ON THE POOR
In Soweto thousands of families go without water and electricity. The
government has, over the past few years, cut off the water and electricity
supply of thousands of families living in Soweto. Thousands more have been
evicted from their homes. Recently about a thousand residents of
Mandelaville, Soweto, were forcibly removed and dumped at an isolated mining
hostel with no water, no electricity, no access to schools, no access to
jobs. Throughout Gauteng and South Africa, Mbeki's capitalist policies are
attacking the poor, robbing them of their right to a quality life.
Privatisation and GEAR have meant rampant unemployment and a rise in the
cost of water and electricity. Now our government is joining hands with
other corrupt African leaders to exploit the poor all over the continent in
the 'New Partnership for Africa's Development' (NEPAD). GEAR and
privatisation have brought profits for the rich and more suffering for the
poor.
WHO ARE THE REAL CRIMINALS?
Is it a crime to fight against evictions and water and electricity cut-offs?
Is it a crime to protest peacefully? Is it a crime for voters to demand
answers from their Mayor?
The real criminals are Masondo and his councillors, who betrayed their
voters.
The real criminal is Mbeki and his GEAR policy, crippling the poor.
The real criminals are the rich who only want profit at the expense of
billions of people worldwide.
We demand the unconditional release of the Kensington 50. We demand the
dropping of all charges against our comrades. We demand free basic services
for all. We demand an end to cut-offs and evictions.
Stop privatisation! Stop GEAR! Stop NEPAD!
Join us in the fight for free basic services.
Mass Rally
Sat, 13 April 9a.m.
Funda Centre, Soweto
March on Masondo
Tues, 16 April
11a.m.
INTENSIFY THE FIGHT AGAINST CUT-OFFS, GEAR AND PRIVATISATION!
FORWARD WITH OPERATION KHANYISA!
FIRE MASONDO AND HIS CRONIES!
